Returning to Work after Cancer: How Cancer Recovery Pushed Me Toward My Dream Career

When treatment’s over, the idea of returning to work after cancer can feel overwhelming. Should I go back to my old job? How do I feel about the 9-5, 40 hours a week? What if my job has changed? What if I’ve changed?

When her cancer treatment was over, Alice-May Purkiss reassessed her feelings toward her career, values, and identity and how the three tied together. Determined to make every second count, she decided to go her own way and launch her dream career.

"So that's it?" I asked.

"That's it," he replied.

"The end of active treatment?"

"The end of active treatment," he confirmed.

"What now?"

"Now you've got to go and figure out how to get on with your life," he smiled.

That was the conversation I had with my surgeon after I finished my treatment in 2016. I'd had three types of treatment after I'd been diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015 when I was 26.

It had, unsurprisingly, been the roughest 10 months of my life. There was still some work for my surgeon and me to go through to fix the physical damage cancer had left behind.

But, in terms of getting rid of the cancer, we were done. Somehow, I'd made it through this part. And it was time to start putting the pieces of who I was back together.

3 things I learned about my relationship with work after cancer treatment

1. My values and goals had changed

What people do to build their bank account is rarely the most exciting thing about them. There are often far more fascinating questions to hear them answer than, "So, what do you do?"

Work had never really felt that important to me. I liked my job, but I was far more of the "work to live" mentality than the "live to work" mentality. So, I was surprised at how eager I was to return to the grind after finishing treatment.

For the 10 months I'd been in treatment, I hadn't been using my brain that much. I'd gone from working 8am-6pm in the city, with a 60-minute commute there and back, to being a patient. Arguably, this was still a full-time job, but one with very different responsibilities and targets.

But, when my treatment had ended, returning to a marketing manager role on a money-saving website no longer seemed all that appealing. Cancer had changed me. My values had changed. My goals had changed. If I'd been "work to live" before, I was undoubtedly "work to live" after treatment for a life-threatening illness.

So, I took the plunge and did something I'd been talking about for a long time.

I couldn't face working in an office an hour away, five days a week, or with a team of people I was afraid of letting down.

However, I did have the privilege of choosing self-employment. I bought myself a new laptop, created a website, registered on Companies House (the UK agency to incorporate a limited company), and began seeking clients.

2. My work was a bigger part of my identity than I’d thought (but not my whole identity)

Building my business took time. It was an adjustment. Figuring out how to use my body and the new parameters I was working with was challenging. The fog of fatigue and struggles with concentration made me slower than I wanted to be.

I wanted to go hell for leather and throw myself into my new business, be a Girl Boss (yuck, what a terrible phrase) like other women in their 20s carving out their careers. But I had to accept that I couldn't. I had to figure out how to balance building a business with my cancer recovery. I had to take baby steps and learn to run before I could walk.

Over time, I built up my workload until I hit four days a week with a full roster of clients, producing work I was proud of. Cancer shook my life up in many ways, but no area of my life is more different than my work life.

Going back to work after cancer treatment can be scary. Still, our careers are essential for so many of us who've been diagnosed. We spend such a vast proportion of our time doing our jobs that they become, for better or worse, a big part of our identity. Losing that part of your identity to cancer can feel incredibly jarring.

That's why returning to work after a prolonged absence can help build confidence, self-esteem, and inner strength. Having goals, targets, and objectives can give us purpose after a time when we may have felt purposeless or, in some cases, quite lost. It can help give us a sense of normality after so much turbulence. And it can provide us with financial independence, which is, of course, crucial.

3. Returning to work marked my decision to “move on” from cancer

But finding a way to make a job work for you beyond a cancer diagnosis takes quite a lot of trial and error.

I was lucky to become self-employed and have that decision work out for me. I've curated a career that suits my needs. Not everyone can do that. If becoming self-employed isn't a possibility, knowing your rights at work is essential. Organizations like Cancer and Careers (US) or Working with Cancer (UK) can make navigating that stuff so much easier, and they can offer return-to-work coaching if you need a little backup to help you along the way.

For my sins, returning to work after cancer was a crucial part of figuring out how to get on with my life (but I'm still not sure work is the most exciting thing about me). It hasn't always been easy, but it has been worth it.

If you're thinking about returning to work after cancer, finding the proper support to help you do it is key. Remind yourself why your career is important to you. Take your time and assess how you want to return. Remember that things might have changed and that you might have changed.

And, above all, be kind to yourself in the process.

The information presented is solely for educational purposes, not as specific advice for the evaluation, management, or treatment of any condition.

The individual(s) who have written and created the content and whose images appear in this article have been paid by Teva Pharmaceuticals for their contributions. This content represents the opinions of the contributor and does not necessarily reflect those of Teva Pharmaceuticals. Similarly, Teva Pharmaceuticals does not review, control, influence, or endorse any content related to the contributor's websites or social media networks. This content is intended for informational and educational purposes and should not be considered medical advice or recommendations. Consult a qualified medical professional for diagnosis and before beginning or changing any treatment regimen.

NPS-ALL-NP-01302 JULY 2024