For Shirley Mertz, continuing to work throughout the past fourteen years as she battled breast cancer wasn’t only natural but conjointly vital to her well-being.

“Once I used to be diagnosed with breast cancer, continuing to live a traditional life was extraordinarily necessary, and for me, normal meant working,” said Mertz, a former assistant superintendent for a public high school district in suburban Chicago, Ill., who is currently fifty nine and a full-time breast cancer advocate. “I was fortunate enough to have a sympathetic employer and compassionate co-employees, but I had to appear outside my workplace for the support and information I required to deal with cancer. I never extremely thought-about that workplace resources may be an option.”

Mertz’s expertise is echoed in the results of a national Harris Interactive survey of working women diagnosed with cancer, that, astonishingly, found {that a} mere 1 percent of them take into account their company a source of knowledge or support in dealing with their illness. Although they are generally happy with interpersonal support and report a capability to balance the strain of their illness and their careers, several survey participants are of course suffering treatment-connected difficulties on the task, such as fatigue, nausea and hair loss, but aren’t finding facilitate in workplace programs. The survey was initiated by Cosmetic Executive Ladies Foundation’s (CEWF) Cancer and Careers program and supported by a grant from Roche.

Carlotta Jacobson, President of CEW, a number one trade organization in the beauty business, says it’s essential for employers to search out ways in which to anticipate and address the needs of their workers who have cancer.

“Our survey shows that, despite their stoic attitude, ladies with cancer often struggle with physical, emotional and alternative issues in the workplace,” said Jacobson. “To address their wants, we’ve developed the Cancer and Careers program, which includes free information, steerage and tools for both staff and their managers.”

Cancer and Careers is an on-line and offline resource for operating girls with cancer and their employers.

CEWF’s survey also revealed that women with cancer would like a lot of than just workplace support to help them address the challenges they face on the job. Nearly three-fourths of women surveyed expressed a need for a less intrusive treatment to a operating girl’s lifestyle. Citing convenience and fewer facet effects as rationale, 86 percent of women said they would favor an oral chemotherapy treatment to intravenous administration.

“Because I took an oral chemotherapy pill rather than going to the clinic repeatedly for IV treatment, I missed fewer days of labor and felt a lot of like myself,” said Mertz. “I also didn’t have any hair loss, which helped me to maintain my self-esteem.”