finding work after long cancer break

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Hello all,

 It's my first post, I have found myself in a little hole of let down. 

A little background of myself.

when i was 21 i was diagnosed with Thyroid Cancer shortly after having my 1st son so with fighting that and trying to keep head above water i was also recovering from a awful birth, but being a first time parent. fast forward 3 years i had the all clear from my consultants i was ok to have another child and that many of women were ok after thyroid cancer. So i did....hello cancer number 2 this time it was diagnosed when i was 22 weeks pregnant and came worse treatment, ops etc 

I finally got the all clear whoop! In all this time i have not been able to work, i manage to get a WFH job which was temp but it was ideal with my hospital appointments and taking my children to school.

Iam currently working on a farm on a 0hr contract and i am soon too loose it cause they have someone coming in that's more qualified and can do the hrs the farm needs. 

So now i need help. 

I have a massive gap in my cv as these only 2  proper jobs i have had since 21, before that i done agency work and college. I have no qualifications, all what i have going for me is just my personality and my life skills and fighting cancer twice and bringing up 2 kids all together.

how do i get into work? how do i fill that gap in the cv? is there any qualification's i can get at my age (courses that are not full on.  do you write in youre cv that you have had cancer so had to take a break? Its very over whelming, and frustrating. 

sorry to babble on. 

CA x

  • Hi  and welcome to this corner of the community.

    Cancer brings lots of challenges and at times it can be years down the road before some challenges show their face.

    I have no first hand experience to bring to the table as my story is very different but let’s see if any community members pick up on your post.

    It may be helpful to call the Macmillan Support Line open 8am-8pm (timings may differ across services) 7 days a week on 0808 808 00 00.

    This service provides practical information, work support, benefits/financial guidance or just a listening ear.

    We also have our Ask an Expert section but do allow a few working days for a reply.

    Talking to people face to face can be very helpful so do check to see if you have any Local Macmillan Support in your area, do also check for a local Maggie's Centre as these folks are amazing and give support to all the family.

    Mike (Thehighlander)

    It always seems impossible until its done - Nelson Mandela

    Community Champion Badge

  • hello, Thehighlander

    Thank you for taking the time to replying, oh yes this isn't the first challenge i have faced however this one has become the hardest to get through.  

    Thank you for the advice i shall reach out and see what the can suggest. 

    All the best

    CAF22 X

  • Hi  

    I'm sorry to read about your difficulties. I'm not currently in the job market and I don't know if this will help. Have you made enquiries at your local job centre? There may be someone there that you can speak to and get some advice. If not, they may be able to signpost you to other agencies. Best of luck to you.

    A x

  • Hi Caf22

    It's great that you are now cancer free that is something to celebrate. In relation to the work issue. I live in Australia so some of this might not work for you but thought I would put it out there. My daughter who was in her late 30's was off work for a couple of years due to some personal and health issues. She had previously been working in Real Estate but it was much too stressful so did not want to return to that type of work. She decided to re-train and took a while to figure out what she wanted to do. She eventually did a 3 month course at TAFE which is a college for apprenticeships and other professions. She re-trained as a dental nurse and even though she also had a big gap in her CV she did some work experience as part of the course and found work as soon as she had finished.She loves the job and there is nowhere near as much stress as with the Real Estate job.

    Can you look at re-training in something that you would enjoy? I don't know if there are similar training programmes in the U.K. but if so look at what is on offer.

    Best of luck

    Lyn

    Sophie66