A Nova Scotia woman battling aggressive stage-four breast cancer will take her case – seeking changes to employee insurance sickness benefits – to parliament later this month.

Erin Richard, 40, from Sydney, says people undergoing intense treatment shouldn’t have to worry about paying their bills.

She hasn’t been able to work as she has undergone chemotherapy, radiation, lymph node removal surgery and a mastectomy.

"The doctor suggested I take about a year off work to get all these treatments and surgery and recovery done,” Richard says.

Richard’s employment insurance benefits ran out 15 weeks ago at the same time as her husband – a labourer – was laid off from his job.

"I tried to be as calm as I could because it's stressful enough doing all of the treatments,” she says.

Richard created a petition that has garnered more than 560 signatures and she’s taking it before parliament Sept. 18.

The petition asks that EI benefits be increased to 40-50 weeks for those like her, who are going to be off work for an extended amount of time due to a serious illness.

She is also asking the government to make it easier for people to ease back into work post-illness by making changes to the Canada Pension and Disability Benefits Plan.

"Too many people can't pay their bills, are losing their homes, are stressing out,” she says. “They can't relax and try to deal with their treatments for cancer."

The Nova Scotia Health Authority is currently conducting a study on the topic by interviewing cancer paitents like Richard whose EI benefits have been exhausted.    

Richard’s husband Joe, who is back to work now, says he thinks what is happening to his wife and other people suffering from serious illness is wrong.

"Change the system, people,” he says. “Come on, it's broken, we know it is."

Richard says she is optimistic about her recovery because her cancer hasn’t spread.          

"I think I’m going to be around here for a very long time, I’ll keep this going if it doesn't work right now, if it takes months, years, I’ll keep doing it until it's changed," she says.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Ryan MacDonald.