In 2019, following his own initial treatment for cancer, Stephen became a voluntary ambassador for Working with Cancer, the social enterprise that helps people affected by cancer to manage work, return to work or find work during and after cancer treatment. Through a combination of published pieces and promotional activities, Stephen highlighted the work the organisation does alongside the benefits of staying in work during and after treatment, if the employee wishes and is able to.
'Having been a cancer patient for over 5 years now, it is very noticeable that most family members, friends and colleagues appear much more at ease when I am cheerful and upbeat. I think this is partly because it is reassuring to them if I look like I’m coping well, taking the fight to the cancer and trying to stay strong for those closest to me.'
'So, my cancer came back. Almost exactly four years after successful surgery to remove a tumour in my oesophagus I had started to allow myself to feel that I could look ahead with a degree of optimism. That should have been a warning. Cancer, as we know, can be a wily opponent.'
'At the start of the pandemic there were gloomy forecasts which confidently predicted a rapid rise in unemployment once the furlough scheme ended. Policymakers in government and many employers braced themselves for unprecedented job losses. But to the surprise of many commentators, over two years later, this pessimism has not proven to be well founded.'
'My own research looking at working life during ‘lockdown’ has shown that emotional wellbeing was under real pressure very early on and, despite some improvements, it remains fragile for many young people, those with complex caring responsibilities, those with underlying health conditions like cancer, and those who feel insecure either at work or in their accommodation.'
‘Just a year ago I was only part way through my treatment for oesophageal cancer. I’d had chemotherapy followed by major surgery and still more chemotherapy and some radiotherapy were to follow. I’d put life on hold and hadn’t really thought about how or when I might fully return to work. Like so many others, the prospect of getting through the treatment, seeing my family, friends and colleagues kept me going. ……. That was then, this is now ……'
'A year ago, getting back to work was the last thing on my mind. I had just finished the first of two rounds of chemotherapy for oesophageal cancer and had spent New Year’s Eve in hospital having had my second A&E admission that month following an infection. Whether I had set my ‘out of office’ message or not, or whether I was going to make the next staff meeting in the office was, frankly, of no consequence..'
'It is now a year since my diagnosis of oesophageal cancer was confirmed. I’ve now emerged from 10 months of treatment and I am dipping my toe – tentatively – back into the world of work. I’ve learned a lot about the importance of work to people living with cancer and other serious illnesses, the lack of priority given to work by some clinicians, and the vital role played by employers and colleagues in supporting the ‘vocational rehabilitation’ journey...'
