Linda’s son Milo is five years old when she is first diagnosed with breast cancer. “I could then be treated, and after two years I picked up my life again”, she tells RTL Nieuws.
But then her husband suddenly dies of cardiac arrest. “Then I was alone with my 7-year-old son. That was very intense.”
Metastases
Milo and Linda fight their way through the mourning period together. “I even met a new man, Joris. Life smiled at us a bit again.” Until she gets stuffy at the end of 2019. Whooping cough, is the doctor’s first thought. But the drugs don’t work. “A bell already rang with me, aren’t these metastases?”
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After persistent complaints and various tests, the diagnosis was only made last May: metastatic breast cancer. It’s everywhere. In her brain, spine, lungs, esophagus, trachea, bones, liver. “The doctors gave me another six months. A death sentence.”
Months of arranging
Four of those six months have now passed. Four months of making memories and arranging for her son to stay behind. “I sometimes joke that being terminal is busier than a full-time job.”
Her funeral has now been almost arranged and the will has been drawn up. Her parents get custody of Milo, but Linda’s boyfriend Joris will bring him up. “That’s what Milo wants most. He sees Joris as his father.”
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Milo’s greatest wish is to continue to live in the house, Linda says. “He has the memories of his father and me there. The only certainty he now has in his life is the house and Joris who continues to live there with him.” But that is precisely the problem, because inheritance tax will have to be paid on that house.
Patches for tax
Linda submits her wishes to her notary, who starts calculating. “Then it turned out that Milo will have to deposit 45,000 euros in inheritance tax.” That is a bit of a swallow. “I want to leave Milo well, and not with the sword of Damocles in the form of 45,000 euros above his head.”
She and her civil-law notary look for solutions, but there are none. “As an heir, Milo has to play anyway, the notary explained to us.” Or the house should be sold, and they don’t want that. It is also not possible to take out a mortgage or loan, because Milo is still a minor. “He is having a hard enough time and prefers to stay in his trusted and safe environment. That’s why we are one crowdfunding We have already received more than 20,000 euros there until half past two on Friday afternoon.
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Inheritance tax
When someone dies, their inheritance goes to the heirs. An inheritance consists of all assets and debts that the deceased leaves behind. Tax must be paid on this if it exceeds a certain amount. This amount depends on the relationship of the heir to the deceased.
In this case, the heir, Milo, is Linda’s child. He can 20,946 euros tax free inherit. He must pay taxes on the rest of the amount, including the value of the house. 10 percent on the first 126,722 euros, and 20 percent tax on the rest of the money. In total, the calculation of the notary comes to 45,000 euros.
Source: tax authorities
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With the money raised, Linda can leave her son with a good feeling. “I also want Milo to just be an adolescent. That he can go to school, play sports and play games. That he can do everything a gangly 13-year-old teenager can do without a financial burden.”
Anyway, Milo is orphaned, Linda explains. “But by arranging everything, I can ensure that he gets on his feet as well as possible. That gives me peace of mind.”
Making memories
They still make great memories in between arranging them. The three of them go on weekend trips and do fun outings, as far as the limitations of the current corona crisis allow. “We realize very well that I probably won’t make it to the turn of the year. That happens to us every now and then. But then we say to ourselves: I’m dying already, but not today.”
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