Too often, cancer is thought of as a death sentence, when the disease manifests itself in many forms and survival rates increase. In addition, in Canada, one in two people will develop cancer in their lifetime. This represents an important part of the active population, employed or entrepreneur.
If cancer does not discriminate – neither race, nor age, nor sex -, the fact remains that at work, the subject remains taboo. It is not clear how to approach and manage people with cancer and other chronic illnesses. The prejudices against them are still present. Businesses need to open up and accept this reality that strikes almost every home.
An obstacle course
In April 2019, I was diagnosed with colon cancer. After surgery and eight rounds of preventive chemotherapy, the cancer is eliminated… for two days. the scan verification reveals another tumor, in a lung this time. “Fortunately,” she is a different strain and her early detection offers a good prognosis for treatment. So I received three more cycles of chemotherapy and had a new operation. Later another scan demonstrates removal of the tumor, but indicates new cancerous activity in the surrounding area. As tiny as it is, the medical team decides to work extra hard to eradicate it once and for all.
Translation: Seven more rounds of chemo and 33 rounds of radiation therapy. That sums up my summer 2021.
Microscopic enemies
The global pandemic strikes when I get rid of colon cancer and teach me about lung cancer. Now my livelihood AND my life are threatened by microscopic enemies.
But illness is not what scares me the most. I trust science and the wonderful multidisciplinary team at the CHUM. I’ll get rid of it. But what if my clients, partners, or creditors find out that I have cancer?
Will they still have confidence in my abilities? Will my business survive? Can I take out loans? When in doubt, I decide to keep quiet about my situation at work and in those around me.
Silence and prejudice
Can organizations overcome prejudices? Can they grasp the worth of a person with cancer through the thick smokescreen of stigma and misconceptions?
Most ignore the resilience of a person battling cancer – or any illness, physical or mental disability. The typical prejudice associated with it is that it is diminished. She is therefore unable to perform well and produce “as good results” as non-disabled people.
Hiring or doing business with someone with cancer has its advantages. First, it is endowed with limitless resilience. Adversity does not scare him. She is used to challenges and can adapt to changing and difficult situations. Let us also mention his concentration and speed of action. Because her battle erases trivial details, she quickly targets the stakes. Efficiency is its best ally, because time matters more than ever.
Focused on a societal mission
This ordeal transformed my work into a mission, which became that of my company: to help the world accept difference. This fight against prejudice – whether it is discrimination based on physical ability, language, race or gender – is more than a mission. It is a plea for awareness of the value and valuable perspective that underrepresented groups bring in the quest for equity.
Beyond prejudices
As a businesswoman, I smashed lots of glass ceilings. After more than 30 years in this industry, I found myself facing the thickest glass ceiling of all: the fear of being discriminated against because of illness. If battles against cancer are won every day, the struggle for diversity continues.
This article honors all those who are battling cancer and any other physical or mental illness. It is dedicated to those who, every day, overcome obstacles and put their tremendous resilience and their incredible will at the service of the common good, as well as to all those who support them, from near or far.
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