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🇬🇷 Greece /Health & Science

“If They Learn I Have Cancer, They’ll See Me as Written Off at Work”

From Ta Nea · () Greek

Translated from Greek and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Context piece
  • Workers living with cancer describe hiding their diagnoses because they fear employers will see them as less productive, less reliable or more costly.
  • One 37-year-old woman attended a job interview the day after her first chemotherapy session without mentioning her illness.
  • Research cited in France found that 26% of 2,130 women with breast cancer reported workplace discrimination after completing treatment.

The day after her first chemotherapy session, 37-year-old Ioanna G. attended a job interview for a job she wanted badly. She performed well and said nothing about her cancer. She felt strong and believed she had managed the challenge.

Then the human resources manager asked one final question: “How do you imagine yourself in five years?” The question abruptly brought her back to the reality she had been trying to keep separate from her professional life.

How do you imagine yourself in five years?

· Human resources managerThe question came at the end of a job interview attended by a woman the day after her first chemotherapy session.

Katerina, 29, works in the private sector and has not disclosed her illness. She has requested leave for breast surgery a month later and is undergoing chemotherapy. “Yesterday my whole body hurt. I had nausea and dizziness all day at the office,” she said. “I couldn’t leave because we had a very important meeting. No one at the office knows. I haven’t told anyone.”

She said colleagues could see that she looked unwell, but she still did not want to disclose the diagnosis. “I know that if they learn I have cancer, they’ll see me as written off,” she said. “Fortunately, I haven’t lost my hair, so I can still hide it. We’ll see what happens afterward.”

Yesterday my whole body hurt. I had nausea and dizziness all day at the office. I couldn’t leave because we had a very important meeting.

· KaterinaShe described working during chemotherapy without telling colleagues about her illness.

The testimonies reported by tanea.gr show that people with cancer face not only the pain of the disease, but also fear that it will alter their working lives. Workers worry that disclosure could affect hiring, career progression, assignments and access to workplace adjustments. Some conceal the illness entirely or delay disclosure for as long as their appearance allows.

A French study of 2,130 women diagnosed with breast cancer before age 57, who were working two years later, found that 26% said they had experienced workplace discrimination after treatment. In another qualitative study, health professionals and employers generally considered workplace stigma unlikely, while patients and survivors viewed cancer as highly stigmatized at work. An experiment also found that résumés mentioning a history of cancer received less positive evaluations, largely because assessors expected more sick leave and higher costs for employers.

I know that if they learn I have cancer, they’ll see me as written off.

· KaterinaShe explained why she has not disclosed her diagnosis at work.
About this summary

Originally published by Ta Nea in Greek. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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