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Tracy, 51, describes why she decided to keep working after her diagnosis and how employers can support those suffering with the condition
The day my life was turned upside down, I couldn’t have been happier. It was December 2023. I had started a new job a few months before and was looking forward to a three-week holiday in India just after Christmas. But then, in the shower while checking my breasts, I found a tiny lump.
It was so small that, at first, I wasn’t sure it was even there. At 49, I was too young to have had a mammogram, but I told myself the lump was likely caused by menopausal hormones or a cyst. After all, there was no history of cancer in my family and I felt perfectly healthy. I made an appointment with my GP who referred me to hospital just in case.
The appointment came through for January 6 2024, when I would be away. Telling myself it would be nothing, I rearranged the appointment for when I returned from India. But by the time my appointment came around, five weeks after I first felt the lump, my breast looked very swollen.
On the day of the appointment, I had a mammogram and several biopsies taken. The consultant immediately told me that it looked like I had cancer and I should prepare myself. Following further scans, it was confirmed. I had an advanced, fast-growing tumour, 13cm in size, and it was oestrogen-receptive meaning I had to come off my hormone replacement therapy (HRT) immediately. It was extremely frightening news, and I was devastated. I was also worried about work.
My new job was with a charity called the Centre for Ageing Better where I am a senior programme manager. My role is to develop and implement the charity’s Age Friendly Employer Pledge, which asks employers to commit to improving work for people in their 50s and 60s. It was important work and going well but I’d only just started, and here I was with breast cancer.
Outside the hospital, still in shock, I texted my line manager Emily. I’d previously told her I was going to hospital for tests, and I’d been open about why. Now, I messaged her, saying: “Bad news.” To my relief, she immediately texted: “Whatever you want or need, we are here to support you.”
I wanted to try to continue working. This was partly for financial reasons, but also because I enjoyed my job. However, I couldn’t have done it without the incredible support from my employers.
Emily searched “how to support someone with cancer at work” and found an organisation called Working With Cancer that offers work coaches to help people with cancer to stay at work as well as support to employers. Work agreed to support me through this organisation and I began having meetings with a coach called Veronica.
I knew I would have constant medical appointments, a weakened immune system and lower levels of energy. I had been hybrid working, but arrangements were immediately made so I could work entirely from home.
In February 2023, I started 16 rounds of chemotherapy. I had no idea what to expect and had visions of crawling around on my hands and knees, vomiting. I was fortunate in that the medications for side effects were effective, but it was certainly not always easy.
I spent some days in bed, only able to send a couple of emails before the overwhelming fatigue got to me. Other times, I’d have very emotional days but I’d stick my hat on, put on a bit of lipstick and get on a Zoom call. Overall, I often felt rubbish and exhausted but as I got to know what to expect after each cycle, I started to feel that it was manageable.
Veronica helped me manage my workload and treatment schedule throughout. Together, we would look at the tasks I had for the weeks or months ahead and work out what was manageable given my energy levels. Often it was about prioritising: what was a priority for work and how could I prioritise my energy. Sometimes I had to decline meetings, or attend with the camera off to listen while I was on the sofa. Or I would get a summary with what I needed to know.
Veronica had been through cancer herself which was so helpful. She advised me when I could expect to feel particularly fatigued or unwell, so we planned my work around that. During radiotherapy she told me I was likely to feel most energetic in the first week and most tired by the third, so we planned important meetings and reports around that. She was very clear that doing any work immediately after my surgery was out of the question. She checked that my workload stayed realistic and manageable and reminded me to feel proud of my achievements. She often provided a virtual shoulder to cry on, too.
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I focussed on just one or two key pieces of work at a time and routinely prioritised what was important. This proved to be effective. With the tremendous support from my team, we continued to meet our milestones for the number of employers signing up to the pledge. When we hit 250, we shared a lovely moment with a cake that had the number 250 proudly iced on top. Sadly, I was at home that day and only saw the cake virtually. But the next day, while I was at a radiotherapy session at a hospital near work, a team member met me, bringing a slice of the cake with them.
My work felt meaningful and gave me a sense of achievement. I am single and don’t have children to get up for in the morning, so work became my purpose, though I confess I did a lot of work from bed and the sofa. Everyone could see I was different. I lost my hair, and my lashes and eyebrows went too and with frequent Zoom meetings, there was no hiding that. But I accepted the changes and so did my colleagues.
If I was treated differently, it was in a good way. My colleagues constantly messaged me with reassurance and support.
Obviously, I had to pace myself. When I had a mastectomy in July, I took two weeks of complete rest. After the operation, I was told the chemotherapy had been successful. I had what’s called ‘no evidence of disease’, which was the best possible news.
But the journey continued. In November, I had 15 sessions of daily radiotherapy. Then I moved on to hormone suppression treatment which will last for 10 years, and two years of chemotherapy tablets to reduce the risk of the cancer coming back. I am also still processing everything I have been through which can be emotionally difficult. I recently needed to take a two-week mental health break with full support from work.
Now I’m spending a few mornings or days a week in the office as I find my feet again. The first time I went in since before I was diagnosed, I felt both nervous and excited to see people face to face again. I feel lucky to have been able to work and I know not everyone has the support I had. Everyone’s cancer experience is different. If you work in a non-office-based role, you may be unable to work from home. Some people will be too ill to work, and others do not wish to. Their needs and choices should all be respected.
Moreover, you have no idea what someone with cancer is going through unless you are experiencing it yourself. It’s important to understand that recovery from cancer isn’t linear. Someone may seem OK and able to work one day but not the next.
During my own treatment, work was more than a distraction from cancer, it gave me a sense of normality. I wasn’t just ‘Tracy with cancer’, but Tracy, who had an important job to do. I will never be exactly the same person as I was before cancer but working helped me feel more like myself.
As told to Leah Hardy