Medical and Legal Experts Share Practical Advice at First-Ever Cancer and Careers Seminar in Albany

In recognition of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Cancer and Careers, and its founding partner Roche, have joined forces with the Capital Region’s To Life! to host a local seminar, which provides practical advice and tools women can use when returning to work after a breast cancer diagnosis. The Balancing Cancer and Careers Seminar will take place from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 7 at the Hilton Garden Inn at Albany Medical Center in Albany, N.Y.

“Work doesn’t stop once you’ve been diagnosed with cancer. Many women have to — and want to — work during and after treatment,” said Carlotta Jacobson, former Beauty Editor of Harpers Bazaar and current President of Cosmetic Executive Women (CEW), who founded Cancer and Careers when she learned that five CEW board members were diagnosed with cancer and struggled to find resources to help them balance their careers while undergoing treatment. “The Cancer and Careers seminar is designed to ease the back-to-work transition for these women by addressing the unique challenges of cancer in the workplace.”

During the seminar, experts will share advice on how to create an action plan that includes whether and how to address their diagnosis with employers and coworkers; how to inquire about effective treatments that may allow more flexibility and convenience, including oral chemotherapies such as Xeloda(R)(1); and what they need to know about their legal rights in the workplace, including an updated bill passed by Congress last month that expands the definition of disability.

“Achieving a sense of normalcy is a necessity for cancer patients and may be especially important to those who work through or return to work after treatment,” said Michael Kolodziej, M.D. and board member of To Life! “That’s why it is so important for patients to have an ongoing dialogue with their oncologist about their cancer experience. Part of our job as oncologists is to work with patients to identify a treatment regimen that will allow them, as much as possible, to continue with their daily lives.”

“As a breast cancer survivor, I know firsthand how challenging it can be to balance a career, family life and a cancer diagnosis,” said Mara Ginsberg, Esq., President and Founder of To Life! “To Life! is proud to be a part of this program that provides breast cancer patients with the tools and resources they want and need to effectively manage their disease as efficiently as they would the rest of their lives.”

In addition to Jacobson, Dr. Kolodziej and Ginsberg, seminar experts will include Cancer and Careers Executive Director Kate Sweeney and Joseph Connors, Esq., Clinical Professor and Director of the Health Law Clinic at Albany Law School. Women will also receive information on local resources that can help them adjust to working through cancer.

For additional information and to obtain resources presented during the seminar, please call To Life! at (518) 439-5975 or visit www.CancerAndCareers.org and www.AboutOralChemo.com.

About Cancer and Careers

Cancer and Careers is a program committed to changing the face of cancer in the workplace by providing a comprehensive website, free publications, and a series of support groups and educational seminars for employees with cancer. Cancer and Careers’ Living and Working with Cancer workbook, available free of charge in English and Spanish, has been distributed to more than 55,000 cancer survivors in all 50 states, Canada, England, India, South Africa and Spain. CancerAndCareers.org informs more than 120,000 visitors per year, providing essential tools and information for employees with cancer.

In addition, the Managing Through Cancer Pioneers program helps employers face the challenge of cancer in the workplace. Member companies enhance their own workplace culture, while also demonstrating their commitment to setting a standard of support for all employees battling the disease.

Cancer and Careers is a program of the CEW Foundation, the charitable arm of Cosmetic Executive Women, Inc., a New York-based non-profit trade organization of 4,000 executives in the beauty, cosmetics, fragrance and related industries.

(1) For complete information on Xeloda, please visit www.xeloda.com.

Source: Cancer and Careers