Testimonials

I was diagnosed with very advanced and invasive Breast Cancer in July 2021 and I met Anna in January 2024 through ‘Working with Cancer’ 1-2-1 Coaching for employees.

My chemo nurse recommended it because I was very worried about how I would manage the expectations at my work place, the change in the dynamic with my work colleagues and managers after my diagnosis. Facing having a new boss and feeling like starting a new job Anna was there for me every step of the way. She was so helpful and supportive. Anna is honestly one of the nicest and professional person I’ve ever met! She has endless enthusiasm and passion that is so obvious in the work that she does.

I am now almost 4 years post diagnosis and back to work and she helped me through my very challenging phased return and the problems I had to face on a daily basis. More recently she supported me through my flexible working request and I am happy to say that this was successful.

Anna is truly a hidden gem that needs to be recognised for all the amazing work that she does!

ZD

The coaching I received from Fiona has literally changed my life.  She has enabled me to deal with the fear, anxiety and anger I was feeling around my husband’s prostate cancer diagnosis.  Not only this, the techniques she used and coping mechanisms she passed onto me have helped me cope with life’s struggles in every respect; I am relaxed, happy and no longer react to stressful situations in the angst ridden way I used to.  I have had counselling in the past and the sessions have left me feeling drained, I’ve struggled with the ‘homework’ and have never had the coping mechanisms available to me instantly when I need them.  With Fiona’s coaching I have really enjoyed the sessions, the ‘homework’ has just come naturally and the techniques have become second nature, available to me instantly and at all times.  I cannot thank her enough; she is so lovely and so brilliant at what she does.  I am so grateful I found out about Working With Cancer.

Kyla

With encouragement from my coach, Fiona, I feel equipped with a whole new skillset and have a fresh perspective on how to balance my work responsibilities and my wellbeing.

My coaching sessions have helped release a lot of worry and given me a huge sense of positivity and enthusiasm for the future!

I highly recommend 1-to-1 coaching with WWC to assist your transition back into work after time out for treatment.

Alison H

I live in Germany and I was diagnosed with breast cancer 5 years ago at age 33. I am originally from Colombia and when I got diagnosed I was looking for a lot of information in different languages, as I didn’t feel quite confident with my German by that time. And so I found about you, I have also read about you in BBC news and I would like to express my gratitude. I was very young when diagnosed, a foreigner and a woman struggling to find balance in her work life. It has been 5 years since diagnosis and surgery and it has not been an easy path with regard to work. But your website, videos and information have been really helpful. So I would like you to know that your impact is crossing borders and reaching people in many places. Thank you.

Anonymous

A counsellor at Christies told me about an organisation called Working With Cancer. It all sounded too good to be true- I really needed some support and it seemed tailor made for someone in my position. Sarah rang me as arranged, and I very quickly felt that she was someone I could talk to and trust. I felt that she engaged with me as a whole person, listening to my story with calm understanding and empathy. I felt that she recognised my situation and helped me identify some urgent priorities. She gave me emotional support when I needed it, and helped me to think through issues in a way that enabled me to formulate practical plans and ‘next steps.’

Sarah helped me to begin to realise that a positive future was possible, and she supported me with the emotional rollercoasters and practical challenges that followed.

Sarah was always extremely professional and despite the clear boundaries regarding her role, I feel that we have developed a friendship. She has such a friendly and incredibly kind manner, and is keen to hear updates and chat about life in general- so I feel that I am always held in mind positively during the times between calls.

I have always found Sarah to be incredibly flexible about the support she has offered me. She has a keen sense of when I have needed emotional support, and has listened with patience and empathy to my distress. In addition she always found ways in the end to gently refocus on next steps and supported me to identify what I can do about a situation. She always offered options about the support she could offer- eg read a draft of a CV, practice an interview, or just a chat and pep talk, or meet up to discuss setting up a business- whatever it was, she was knowledgeable and encouraging, and would always accommodate and respect my choices.

When I look back, I am filled with emotion when I remember how Sarah has helped me immeasurably over several years- from recovery from illness, trauma and distress- to ultimately finding personal fulfilment and happiness, and successfully returning to work in a new career.

Sarah has been a phenomenal source of support to me throughout this time- and yet she always gave me the clear message that I was the one taking the positive steps forward with my life. This helped boost my confidence when I needed it the most.

It is really difficult to express how grateful I am to Sarah and the service that Working With Cancer provided. Thank you so much for everything!

Sarah Holden – September 2021

I was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2015, from which I had 2 years of hard treatment. The lasting impacts both mental and physical have been affecting to this day.

To tackle some of my mental issues I’ve tried many counselors however I have never felt I benefited from bringing up and reliving my past problems. That’s when I heard about Lainey the Working With Cancer career coach. I decided to try this service made available to me as all the others weren’t working.

This was the first time I really felt the services helped as instead of looking at my past I was focusing on the future. I find this was the best route for me as it was the most optimistic. Lainey Mitchell was a great listener and great at guiding the conversation. I always found myself feeling much better off after our calls due to her positive and forward-looking guidance. I would highly recommend this service as it’s helped me with my day to day challenges and big picture challenges!

Thanks for everything

Nic Vinogradov-Wouters

Coaching has been an amazing experience. I never realized my head was in such a spin until I spoke with Maggie and she helped me unwrap my thoughts and look at how my mind was working overtime when it didn’t need to. The strategies I used have been so beneficial to me and now I’m much more relaxed and confident with work and my personal life.

Accessing this service has changed my life and I’m truly appreciative for this opportunity and to work with Maggie who was just wonderful and I will miss our sessions.

Emma Thomson

I would not be smiling now and would not feel as calm and as prepared as I do to deal with potential difficulties in the future. Coaching made me think of so many small things that were actually important but I had dismissed – such as will colleagues recognise me and what do I tell them. I only wish that everyone with cancer returning to work could have it. It made a MASSIVE difference to help me return as a confident strong woman instead of a scared, self-conscious cancer patient.

Liz O’Riordan, Consultant Oncoplastic Breast Surgeon, following the coaching support she received from Barbara Wilson, Working with Cancer

Barbara has been working with Macmillan in a number of capacities on our Work and Cancer campaign for several years – she was one of the first people to recognise the importance of returning to work after cancer which followed as a result of her own experience. Her knowledge and experience have proved invaluable in helping us develop information and training materials for employers, employees and carers. We wish her well in this venture which provides new in-depth support for those affected by cancer.

Ciaran Devane (former CEO Macmillan Cancer Support)

Barbara provided training to the HR team in how to manage employees affected by cancer and gave us a number of new insights into the challenges people face especially on returning to work after treatment. Because of her particular blend of professional and personal experience, Barbara understands not only the HR and business issues we must deal with in helping someone return to work, but also the physical and psychological impact of cancer on employees and this makes her advice particularly helpful. We think Barbara is providing a really useful and unique service for employers and employees affected by cancer.

Siobhan Cifelli (Chief HR Officer, Aon)

Having the fantastic support and guidance from Sarah Dawson and “working with cancer” has given me the confidence to go back into learning and follow my dream career of hopefully becoming a social worker with a cancer organisation. At first I was extremely nervous about getting in contact with “working with cancer” but soon after speaking to Sarah on the phone I felt a real relief and she gave me the encouragement I needed. Sarah was very approachable and I felt like I could easily open up to her (laughs and tears) and she understood that I was an individual and the coaching was tailored for me. I was given homework to complete which included creating a CV which was very daunting to begin with as I had never done anything like this before but Sarah supported me along the way with her knowledge and experience teaching me points on how to make myself sound the very best I can be and I always have these to refer back to if I ever need them again. I would really look forward to our phone calls as Sarah widened our conversations and we were able to talk about general life as well as cancer and this was a huge help.

Since being in contact with Sarah she has given me the confidence to take the first steps in doing what I’m passionate about and I have finally applied for college after years of thinking about it and started volunteering with local charities to hopefully get my foot in the door. I know I wouldn’t have been as far on in doing all of this if it weren’t for her support and guidance so I can’t thank her enough and recommend anyone who is struggling through getting back into the workplace or following a dream career to get in touch!

Wendy Kay

I reached out to Working with Cancer (WWC) after landing myself a job rather more quickly than I expected! Being diagnosed at 20 [2016] and leaving university prematurely, I had never entered the world of full time employment but I knew there would be additional hurdles I’d have to navigate as a result. I initially heard about WWC at a Teenage Cancer Trust (TCT) event and referred myself to the service using the website and phone numbers. I was directed to Sarah as my ‘local’ contact.

Sarah always gave the impression that she wanted the best for me and that made me feel like I deserved that outcome too, she made sure I knew where I stood – on a legal government policy level – and offered me information that gave me the confidence to approach the right people at my new place of employment so I am now able to get the most out of work and they can get the most out of me. Without Sarah’s help I don’t think I would have been as able to have the conversations I have had with my employer; her guidance and support empowered me to stand up for myself. Thank you Sarah, I really appreciate our conversations and continued support.

Naomi [2019]

If I had not had coaching, I would not have had the opportunity to speak to someone who is both wise and kind and who has been through this experience themselves. I would not have been able properly to understand what to expect, and then plan appropriately, both during my lighter induction chemo, then through my time off work when I was recovering from the stem cell transplant. I would not have been able to discuss my personal strategy and receive extremely useful advice and guidance upon the best approaches to work during treatment and post my return. It has been extremely useful. Furthermore the coach herself was brilliant, friendly, kind, considerate, extremely knowledgeable, and inspired great trust. Thank you very much for everything.

RP

I think everyone should have coaching! I would say that it has been absolutely invaluable. It was like having a supporter providing guidance from the sidelines and helped me to address issues that predated cancer but which I felt more urgently that I wanted to address after cancer. It has been incredibly helpful. I have learned so much about myself and it has helped me appreciate the silver linings of the experience of having cancer. I would like to encourage my employer to make better use of the Working with Cancer coaching to make sure that HR support to employees suffering with cancer is strong. Without coaching I would have no sense of what my rights are, and what I could and should be asking for in terms of support. I would have struggled to identify my goals and the aspects of a career that matter to me and what I want to get out of working. I would have lacked the confidence to negotiate a new role.

CF, Senior Risk Adviser

I just wanted to say thank you so much for your time, thoughts and general encouragement. I feel I’ve really benefited from your creative ideas (and another perspective) on all aspects of my situation. I’ve found the feedback emails and my ‘to do’ lists really helpful and have referred back to them. I’m also grateful that you widened our conversations to include cancer and other life-stuff. It does all form part of the picture and has been much appreciated.

CB

On my return to work after cancer treatment I was asked… “would you be interested in meeting a lady who provides help for people who are returning to work after being treated for cancer?”

By nature I am a sceptical person, so my immediate reaction was that this wasn’t for me, but my wife persuaded me to give it a try, so I took the opportunity my employer gave me. I am so glad I did.

I found it helpful to be able to talk to somebody who had been through cancer themselves and who knew how it made you feel. My conversations with Barbara made me feel human again, it wasn’t just about being back in the office, but all aspects of life afterwards. The phrase that I’ll always remember Barbara saying, was simple but so true… “It’s ok to feel tired and different, it’s only to be expected.”

KS, Fund Accountant

The medical profession tend to help you through treatment but then ‘cast you adrift’ so having someone to talk to who really understood my situation was really helpful . I would not be at work today of it wasn’t for my coach. I just know I would have given up.

LW, Risk Analyst

I now realise that returning to work after cancer takes time and patience. In hindsight we all recognise that L returned to work too early.

PW, Line Manager, Risk Team