Hello Donna T. I am currently receiving chemo for Uterine cancer and received an email this week from Cancer+Careers about Professional Development Micro Grants. The grant is for $50 - $1000 but he would need to apply. Just do a search within this site for Micro Grants.

Hi Donna,

Thanks for reaching out to us. Cancer and Careers offers a Professional Development Micro-Grant program that provides cancer patients and survivors professional development opportunities to build or enhance their skillsets. Although we do not offer tuition assistance, this program could possibly cover the cost of the class or another course. The application period for 2019 grants is currently open (until November 11th). For more information and to apply: http://www.cancerandcareers.org/en/resource/micro-grants

The following resources may also be useful to him:

• List of other organizations providing financial assistance: http://www.cancerandcareers.org/resources/categories/financial
  

• Job Search Toolkit (2nd Edition): http://www.cancerandcareers.org/publication_orders/new(features advice on improving resumes, cover letters; interview and networking tips and other useful tools to help you during a job search)

• Job Search webinar recording: http://www.cancerandcareers.org/en/community/videos/bwc/job-search
  

I hope this is helpful. If either of you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us at cancerandcareers@cew.org or 646-929-8032.

P.S. Kelly- thanks for jumping in to highlight our Micro-grants program!

Kind Regards,

Nicole Franklin, MPH

Manager of Programs

Cancer and Careers

Thank you !! Very valuable information!

I dropped out of society when I found out I had cancer. I have a master's degree in journalism from an Ivy League school but never used it. In the bewildering aftermath of my diagnosis, I stopped working on the piece I was writing for a major publication and stopped speaking to every professional acquaintance. That was 9 years ago!!!! I've been in agony about not pursuing my chosen career path. I'm finally getting to a point where I'm ready to get back in the biz and want to reach out to people. I reached out to an old professor and explained that I found out I have cancer, she replied but made no reference to my cancer. I think I freaked her out. Imagine a student vanishing off the face of the earth and then returning 9 years later to say he has cancer. How can I approach my old network without it being off-putting, like, OMG, not this weirdo. After graduation, I was hired on a freelance journalist at one of the most important pubications in the world. Everyone knew but then I stopped working on my piece and stopped speaking to everyone. I left the publication without formally quitting, which was obviously unprofessional. I was just so utterly stunned to learn I had BRAIN CANCER, I just couldn't function emotionally - nevermind brain surgery, chemo and radiation. Oh Lord, I'm so confused. I'm crying through writing it because it's been sooooooooooooooooo painful. I embarrassed myself and knows one even knows why.

Hello,

Thank you for reaching out to us.  I’m sorry to hear you’ve endured so much over the last nine years. It sounds like it’s been really challenging period in your life and I understand how you could feel nervous about your next steps. On the other hand, it’s wonderful that you’re feeling ready to start reconnecting with people and get your professional life back on track—to a place you always envisioned it.

I’ve reached out to our amazing career coaches for their insight, but in the meantime, the following resources might be helpful:

• Job Search Toolkit (2^nd Edition): http://www.cancerandcareers.org/publication_orders/new(features advice on improving resumes, cover letters; interview and networking tips and other useful tools to help you during a job search)

• Recorded 2019 Job Search Webinar: https://www.cancerandcareers.org/en/community/videos/bwc/job-search
  

• Resume Review: http://www.cancerandcareers.org/resume_reviews/new(free program where a professional coach will review your resume and provide feedback to help you refine it towards your current work goals)

• Networking Resources: https://www.cancerandcareers.org/en/looking-for-work/networking
  

A coach will be in touch soon!

Kind regards,

Nicole Franklin, MPH

Senior Manager of Programs

Dear anonymous,  

You have experienced significant loss.  I hear your pain and understand.  I've seen in my own life and those I"ve worked with that it can be isolating, strange and frightening "to drop out of society" at such a young age to take care of your health when everyone around you is intent on building their life. 

Here's the thing, though.  Your cancer was invisible to other - not just physically but relationally as well.  And now you want and need to restore some of those relationships in your professional life.  You can do that.  But my hunch is that your first piece of 'work' is to come to terms with your actions when you left the workforce --  and since then -- so you can present yourself as the person you want to be now.  Labels, such as wierdo and unprofessional, reflect your perception of what you did.  I imagine there is more to that picture.  Grief can have unexpected impact on our behavior .  And, if you haven't done so, it's valuable to notice it and explore it so you're prepare when it shows up -- and it doesn't get in your way.

Once you've 'cleaned your own house', I've found that it's easier to think externally, to focus on how you want to approach the world.   You'll want a clear message that positions your past and present actions, as you want to be seen.  Can you create your message so others don't do it for you?   Do you believe that you can do the work that you were trained to do?  And, strong,positive messages with clear requests give others the space to feel comfortable about what they should or shouldn't say or do.

It's important to find help with this - either with a coach -- or even a friend/mentor --  who understands what you've experienced.  It sounds like you've been on this journey on your own to some extent and getting this part of your life going again might require support from others. 

I wish you luck and clarity in this journey.

Warmly
Rosalind Joffe

This is the most brilliant advice I've ever had. Thank you very, very much. It's so heartening to know that there's a way out of the inertia I've created. I have been on this journey very alone. I'm gay. My family is very homophobic. they believe my cancer is a punishment from God. Imagine getting diagnosed and going through brain surgery, radiation and chemo with your family's only input being that you deserve your illness because you are a sinner? It was, and is, a soul scarring experience that I'm too embarrassed to tell anyone about. Right before my diagnosis, my dad passed away after a long term illness. As the only single sibling the onus fell on me to be his primary care giver. I spent years pouring my savings into his care only to be disinherited. It left me destitute. Ugh, I'm sorry. it really is an awful saga.

Anyhow, as I said, I was working on a freelance piece and just stopped working on it without every formally quitting. It's what I mean when I say I was unprofessional. I just stopped calling my editor. It was 9 years ago. Do I write him? I've been frozen in that moment ever since. Despite the time, I feel like it happened yesterday. truly. it's bizarre. I think about it all the time as if was a recent experience.
What's an example of something I might say to people to patch things up in an empowered way? Most of the last several years I've been living with a friend depressed, undergoing treatment, recovering but not really working other than at a coffee shop, a grocery store, and a telemarketing firm.
Also, what do you mean that grief can affect us in ways that might not be readily apparent? I can definitely do the work I was trained to do but just haven't been able to take the initiative and develop a project. Every time I try I get overwhelmed with anxiety and just wind up procrastinating.
I'm sorry. I hope I'm not being maudlin. I just don't know what to do. My diagnosis and treatment occurred during what was already one of the most difficult moments of my life. I was told I have PTSD. I'll say.
Thank you so much for your help. Reading your response was a true bright spot.

Hello - I'm glad that my words resonate and help motivate you.  What I wrote actually was, Grief can have an unexpected impact on our behavior.  Grief isn't a straight line that everyone experiences in the same way and at the same pace.  It pops up when we least expect it.  It' can be helpful to recognize this and to learn what might trigger your 'PTSD", sadness or shame when you are out in the world, especially the professional world.  

As to your request for tips for what to say, I honestly have no idea and I wouldn't presume to do that.  Each person and situation varies widely and the work for you is to figure out what you want and what you have to do to get it.  It's going to take focus and strength and will be bumpy but it sounds like you're ready for that.   I wish you luck and strength on our journey.
Warmly, Rosalind