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"After I was diagnosed with breast cancer, continuing to live a normal life was extremely important, and for me, normal meant working," said Mertz, a former assistant superintendent for a public high school district in suburban Chicago, Ill., who is now 59 and a full-time breast cancer advocate. "I was fortunate enough to have a sympathetic employer and compassionate co-workers, but I had to look outside my office for the support and information I needed to cope with cancer. I never really considered that workplace resources might be an option."
Mertz's experience is echoed in the results of a national Harris Interactive survey of working women diagnosed with cancer, which, astonishingly, found that a mere 1 percent of them consider their company a source of information or support in coping with their illness. Although they are generally satisfied with interpersonal support and report an ability to balance the demands of their illness and their careers, many survey participants are in fact suffering treatment-related difficulties on the job, such as fatigue, nausea and hair loss, but are not finding help in workplace programs. The survey was initiated by Cosmetic Executive Women Foundation's (CEWF) Cancer and Careers program and supported by a grant from Roche.
Carlotta Jacobson, President of CEW, a leading trade organization in the beauty industry, says it's essential for employers to find ways to anticipate and address the needs of their employees who have cancer.