Tracey Riddell had recently started a new job with a charity in the UK when she was diagnosed with breast cancer this past January. She decided to continue working through treatment saying, "I wanted to try to continue working. This was partly for financial reasons, but also because I enjoyed my job...My work felt meaningful and gave me a sense of achievement."

Her employer was extremely supportive and let Riddell have some flexibility. "I spent some days in bed, only able to send a couple of emails before the overwhelming fatigue got to me. Other times, I’d have very emotional days but I’d stick my hat on, put on a bit of lipstick and get on a Zoom call. Overall, I often felt rubbish and exhausted but as I got to know what to expect after each cycle, I started to feel that it was manageable."

"During my own treatment, work was more than a distraction from cancer, it gave me a sense of normality. I wasn’t just ‘Tracy with cancer’, but Tracy, who had an important job to do. I will never be exactly the same person as I was before cancer but working helped me feel more like myself."

Read more about Riddell's story here.