Last week CAC's Executive Director Kate Sweeney did a whirlwind satellite media tour all from a chair in a studio on West 42nd Street in NYC! 

Kate, along with survivor Tammy Zeller, spoke to 29 TV and radio stations across the country.  They chatted about everything from the emotional value of working during treatment to the two most important federal laws to be aware of (the ADA and FMLA) to how important it is for your healthcare team to know what your priorities are, including work if it is one of them. 

Tammy also brought the issue to life by telling her cancer story. She was diagnosed in 2008 with breast cancer, and did 20 rounds of intravenous chemotherapy, followed by radiation and then finally four months of oral chemotherapy.  Her workplace was incredibly supportive and apart from surgery and a sick day here or there she didn’t miss any more work than normal, which is actually true across the spectrum.  Cancer survivors are no more likely to miss work than their healthy counterparts.  And, as she said, once she could pop a pill with breakfast at her desk and go on with her day, her treatment interfered even less with her life. 

I leave you with my favorite thing Tammy shared, which is the slogan “fake it till you feel it!” that she and her boss came up with to help her get through the bad days.