Friday, November 8, 2024

Work gave me purpose throughout my cancer treatment

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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.”

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