Working Through Cancer Treatments

Sarah Donnelly is a lawyer that was diagnosed with breast cancer at 30 years old and describes her positive experiences with working during chemo in her TED talk. Donnelly describes continuing her regular work schedule during each step of the process, stating that cancer is technically a disability and that employers must make reasonable adjustments to working arrangements accordingly.

Throughout the lecture, Donnelly describes her treatment process and how it affected her personally, while focusing on how the term reasonable adjustments should be applied to everyday life -- as people are working later into their lives is becoming more normal. Donnelly consistently encourages people to start positively engaging those with serious and terminal illnesses to keep them in the workforce if wanted, as opposed to pushing them away.

Finishing the talk, Donnelly aims to change perceptions of the classic cancer treatment; that each patient is different and that they aren't all bored, frail or ill constantly. Sarah Donnelly was able to bring forward this philosophy because of an employer that gave her the opportunity and is now seeking to share it with the world.