I was diagnosed with AML back in November 2018 and after chemo and a stem cell transplant in April 2019 I was beginning to feel well enough to look for work in March 2020. Obviously COVID-19 got in the way and I had to shield for months and now the country is in melt down with so many people being made redundant/out of work. My immune system is not great and I have had my first ever flu jab! I have had a further complication in that I have had a mole removed which was Melanoma and I'm awaiting a WLE and a sentinel lymph node biopsy, which scares me slightly!
Because I feel well, I would like to go back to work on a part time basis but because of everything that has happened, should I look for work, am I putting others at risk if I do (and myself), would an employer even look at me as an employee? The same goes for volunteering.
I feel a bit lost and unsure. What should I do?
Hi
I'm sorry to read that after being diagnosed with AML a couple of years ago you have recently been diagnosed with melanoma and you're currently waiting for a WLE and SLNB. I was diagnosed with melanoma nearly 4 years ago now so I do understand why you might find the thought of the upcoming surgery scary. I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have about it.
The community is divided up into groups so I'm going to suggest that you join the AML and melanoma groups where you can ask questions, share experiences and get support from others with these types of cancer.
To join just click on the links I've created and then choose 'click to join' or 'join' (depending on the device you're using) on the pages that open. You can then introduce yourself and post questions after selecting '+New' or '+' (again depending on the device you're using) and join in with existing conversations by clicking on 'reply'.
As far as I'm aware having had melanoma wouldn't put you or anyone else at any increased risk but I don't know about AML. The people in that group should be able to help you further.
As for looking for a job then if you have cancer, or have ever had cancer, the law considers this a disability. This means you cannot be treated less favourably than other people (who do not have cancer) because you have cancer as otherwise it would be classed as discrimination. This link gives further information. This also applies if you're looking for a job and this information from Macmillan gives more information about what happens when looking for a new job.
When you have a minute, it would be really useful if you could pop something about your journey so far into your profile as it really helps others when answering or looking for someone with a similar diagnosis. It also means that you don't have to keep repeating yourself. To do this click on your username and then select 'Profile'. You can amend it at any time and if you're not sure what to write you can take a look at mine by clicking on my username.
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