Hello

Hi Emma55 and a very warm welcome to the online community which I hope you'll find is both an informative and supportive place to be.

Hello Emma55.     What a careing sister you are to try to help out at this tricky time there are a few ideas 1) keep on working as long as she can towards retirement. 2) could she do the job but with reduced hours ? 3) retire now .     I would say that it it is best to have a goal or a hobby she can do with the extra hours she might find herself with as empty hours could cause her more time to get down about the situation. As  a 79 year old l found a hobby that makes me think about something else but getting frustrated that there are not enough hours in the day to do it !  Take care ,both of you x

Thank you 

Thank you

Hi Emma.  I have secondary breast cancer with extensive bone mets and I am 60 was 59 when diagnosed.  I worked for DWP for nearly 22 years.  I took early ill health medical retirement mainly because I have lots of tumors in my spine and cannot sit for long periods of time.  I am not sorry I did this although I do miss the everyday banter with my friends.  I get very tired but I do walk my dogs every day which helps with the pain.  My oncologist basically said he didn't think I should be returning to work.   It really depends on how your sister feels maybe she could go back on reduced hours and see how it goes.  

Lee x

Hi Emma

I’m a very similar age to your sister. I was 61 when diagnosed and went 62 whilst having chemo. 
My treatment has been curative, fingers crossed, so in that sense my position is different. 
I’d say it comes down to both your sister’s health and financial position 

I was made redundant by my dear employer in the middle of my treatment (don’t let’s go there)

I had worked for more than 40 years at various firms and my husband who’s a few years younger is still working. Suffice to say working has been a large part of my life, a lot of which I’ve enjoyed. I had no plans to retire any time soon before my diagnosis. 

When I was made redundant I was horrified, but I also took a very positive decision to prioritise myself and my health, so apart from insisting they paid me a fair redundancy, I decided to focus on getting better and not to be stressed by the poor behaviour of my former employer. 

I gave myself a year off with no thought as to what to do next. I loved it. I am amazed by how little I miss working. But I recognise that with the support of my husband I was free to make that choice. Not everyone is so fortunate. 

Since the New Year I’ve decided that I won’t look for a new full time job. However I have agreed to stand in the upcoming local elections in May and that will definitely keep me occupied 

To the extent that she feels financially able to, I would recommend your sister prioritises her health and ensuring her treatment can be as effective as possible 

Very best wishes to you both x