My Story: Working With Cancer

When I was diagnosed with sarcoma cancer, I was 25 and living in NYC on a ~$30k small PR agency salary and a basic HMO health insurance plan. I told my bosses, Margie Fox and Brian Maloney , right away. They supported me in ways I’ll never forget. I didn’t hesitate because I knew I could trust them and I desperately needed their support in that moment. I was young, clueless - hundreds of miles away from my family - and terrified.?

Today, nearly two decades after that diagnosis, I am a small agency leader who, along with my co-founder, Ken Byers , has signed the Working With Cancer Pledge recently rolled out by 阳狮广告 , 纪念斯隆-凯特琳癌症中心 and others to abolish the stigma and insecurity that exists for people with cancer in the workplace. This Pledge comes at a time where?50% of all people with cancer are afraid to tell their employers. So, ahead of World Cancer Day tomorrow and the Pledge’s upcoming Super Bowl ad, I’m sharing my story and some moves?our agency is?making to support our employees impacted by cancer to inspire others - large and small - to consider?their policies and culture.

One day at the office, a friend and co-worker asked me why my neck looked swollen. That single, casual question set off a string of doctor’s appointments that confirmed I had a large tumor in my neck. A lengthy surgery followed soon after and it wasn’t until after my surgery that I learned I had leiomyosarcoma, a rare and aggressive cancer that feeds on smooth muscle tissue and, according to limited/dated research, takes the lives of half of patients within?five?years of their diagnosis. My treatment was aggressive: six rounds of heavy chemotherapy that would run for 8 days, 21 hours per day on a slow drip; 31 radiation treatments; endless pill popping, blood transfusions and shots to manage treatment side effects.

For the seven months my treatment lasted, there were very few days that I did not have to go from my apartment in Brooklyn to a cancer center in Manhattan to be monitored and get hooked up to an IV for hours.??The chemo made me very sick and left me with no white blood cells to fight off even a common cold, so being around people was off the table for about two weeks with every regimen. I had periods where mouth sores, caused by radiation, made speaking and eating very painful. By the end, I weighed 119 lbs and had zero energy. The high chance of recurrence and haunting survival statistics brought on a mental stress that lingered for years - especially ahead of each checkup.?

Margie, Brian and my co-workers were not only flexible with me, but they were also sacrificially present. When I was in surgery, Margie hosted my (divorced) parents and girlfriend, taking them out for a very awkward lunch. People visited me. I was given paid leave for weeks beyond vacation time. I planned to try to work in between treatments, but once it was clear that I couldn’t, I tapped into my disability insurance. When it was time to go back, they helped me ease back in.?

Thankfully, there was no recurrence and, despite some moderate long-term side effects, I’m now fine, have a family, and no more at risk of recurrence than anyone. It was traumatic and the scars are still?there, both?inside?and out, but I can honestly say that I’m thankful to have gone through something like this because of the way it has changed my perspective.

Based on my experience as an employee patient, managing employees who are also caregivers and an agency leader, these are the things that I think employers should think about.

1. Consider committing to job security for employees in treatment and immediate family caregivers, who are vital lifelines, for at least one year. Doing so will help employees feel more comfortable disclosing their diagnosis.
2. Assign someone in HR to be a resource for employees navigating insurance and leave policies.?
3. Be overly flexible with scheduling for patients and caregivers who continue working, realizing that making firm plans is impossible. Realize there will likely be many more doctor’s appointments to come even after someone returns to work.
4. Train mentors to help survivors reacclimate to the workplace after time away.
5. Invest in great healthcare plans, long- and short-term disability insurance and life insurance options for your employees and pay a sacrificial share - even in a difficult environment like this one. If you’re small, a PEO like Justworks or Trinet can get you better plans and rates through economies of scale, along with nice ad-ons like mental health options. My out-of-pocket costs to see the right sarcoma specialist, who was out-of-network, added up to tens of thousands of dollars because I was on an HMO. If I had been on a PPO with an out-of-pocket max, this would have been different. My family helped, but many don’t have that access.
6. Realize that many caregivers and those in treatment might be very private people. They don’t want everyone to know and might not want to talk about it unless they bring it up. Talk with them about that early on and think about how you’ll handle others asking about them, which is likely coming from a very sincere place.?
7. Rally other employees to show support through Meal Trains, care packages or relevant charity walks/runs in their teammate’s honor.?

Watch the Working With Cancer Pledge video below.