In June 2007, at the age of 31, I was diagnosed with early breast cancer. Although my occupation as a Policewoman enables me to have virtually unlimited paid sick leave, I was urged by both my surgeon and oncologist to carry on life as normal. This included continuing full time work. This was the best advice I could have been given.
Following my mastectomy/reconstructive surgery, I had four weeks off to recover. I returned to work the week I commenced chemotherapy and thereafter had about a week off every 3 week cycle.
My colleagues were a fantastic support for me and I could not have coped without them. Even hardened "old school" Police Officers were simply a wonderful support for me. One thing you need to help conquer cancer is a good sense of humour.
When I was losing my hair, they warned me not to drive with the windows down or it might blow off. Another day I mentioned I was going out for my mum's birthday and they warned me not to sit behind the cake when she blew the candles out! I have a whole scrapbook on the jokes that were made and I will treasure it for a long time.
Whilst we had a lot of fun, my colleagues were also always understanding of how I was feeling and what they could do to help me out. I was given less onerous tasks to complete during chemo and my boss was only too happy to alter my hours to fit medical appointments and a workload I could handle. She frequently gave me the opportunity to go home when she thought I looked tired and always offered a shoulder to cry on or an ear to listen. My office threw me a surprise party after my last chemo session and celebrated with me when I learnt my reproductive cycle was still working!
I found that continuing work provided me with support but more importantly, something to occupy my mind with. On the days that I was home alone, I found I was constantly preoccupied with everything about breast cancer and found my mind frequently wandering to worst-case scenarios. I am sure that I would have been in the depths of depression if I had stayed home alone all day everyday.
Although I am still a Policewoman, I now have a niggling feeling that I should be doing something else. After eleven years in what I thought was a career job, I am now open to other ideas and would be happy to pursue another career if the right opportunity arose. Work is no longer a priority for me and I have tried to instil the same value in my loved ones and those close to me. Life is too short to spend the majority of it working. Having said that though, I am still trying to work out how to live without the money it provides!
--Amanda
