Hi Johanna,

First, thank you so much for reaching out to Cancer and Careers. Second, congratulations on your new job – 3 months is still within the adjustment period, so I encourage you not to be too hard on yourself. You have a lot on your plate! Anyone who has been through a cancer diagnosis knows that regardless of the amount of time that has passed since treatment and surgery, the effects will linger, both physically and emotionally. So give yourself grace as you figure out how to best work with whatever changes your body and mind have undergone. Additionally, remote work also takes a bit of getting used to as well, I’d encourage you to take a look at our website section on Working Remotely, to see if there are any suggestions that could help you work through the current challenges.

I also think that it is important to identify, if you haven’t already, an outlet for your mental health – whether that is a therapist, a support group, or even just engaging in an activity that fills your cup, it’s important to take some ‘me’ time. Balancing work and being a parent, especially of young children, is NOT easy, so adding a cancer diagnosis and it’s lasting impacts can make things feel absolutely overwhelming. Maybe allow yourself a good cry from time to time, you’re managing a lot! And also, give yourself a major pat on the back! You went through cancer treatment and surgery, are raising young children and managed to get a new job, none of those things on their own are easy, so your resiliency shines through.

I encourage you to give real thought to how, when, and what you may disclose. It’s a personal decision so by no means am I saying you should or should not. Rather, I encourage you to think through the many angles. Take a look at our articles on Sharing the News for some helpful considerations to take into account as you weigh your decision.  As you mentioned, you don’t know your current manager that well, so you may not be 100% sure how they will take the news. I would also caution going into a meeting looking to your manager for solutions – it can be a collaborative process, so coming to the table with some ideas will likely make it more realistic to have accommodations approved. We also have a Managers Toolkit that can be particularly helpful to provide to a supervisor, as it can help outline and guide the best ways to support someone with a diagnosis at work. This can just be a handy tool to bring with you to those meetings, so your manager has a resource to turn to as well. Of course you want to keep in mind that if you are providing this to them, they are going to be aware of your diagnosis, so factor that into your decision around disclosure.

Have you ever checked out the Job Accommodation Network? They are a fantastic organization that focuses on the many aspects of reasonable accommodations. Perhaps if you can speak with someone there they could assist in brainstorming some potential solutions to bring to the table with your manager when you decide to have that conversation. There is also no set time for when you can ask for an accommodation. In fact, accommodations are available as early as the interviewing process, so I wouldn’t write it off as too soon. In fact, having been there for a quarter at this point, you have had the chance to understand the role and your responsibilities. You can use this as a talking point when explaining how you arrived at the decision to ask for accommodations.

I don't want to overwhelm you with resources, but I will leave you with the suggestion to pace yourself, try to engage in some forms of self-care, and think through the challenges you are facing to really understand an approach or approaches that will work for you. Please feel free to reach out to cancerandcareers@cew.org if you'd like more resources or would like to set up a call to talk through anything further.

Warm regards,

Nicole Jarvis, LMSW

Assistant Director of Programs

Cancer and Careers