Pink Monday: Ann Staels

"I think it's important for people to take up their jobs not fully but gradually right away."

"It is often underestimated how hard it is to pick up the threads of your life again. The treatment is over and then those around you expect everything to be as before. But women who have gone through cancer treatment do not immediately feel like they are back to normal. They have been "out" for a long time and are often uncertain to start back up again. Especially if they are on anti-hormone therapy, they experience the effects for years to come. This is not just a pill: anti-hormone treatment does something to a person, both physically and mentally. I don't know how many times I've heard 'I don't recognize myself anymore' or 'I don't know who I am'."

Job coaching

"For guidance around work resumption, we regularly call on Rentree, an organization that really does a fantastic job. If people experience difficulties with their employer after cancer or want to reorient themselves, they look together with the patient to see what is possible - it really is customized job coaching. I think it's important that people don't take up their jobs completely right away but gradually, and choose to do so. There is a lot of pressure from society to get long-term patients back to work, but it has to be feasible."

"I have seen ladies who immediately wanted to start working full-time and then determined that it didn't work out after all. Often these are still quite young, energetic ladies who had planned their lives well. Then they get breast cancer. They go through their treatment with the same energy and they usually do very well. And then everything is over and they want to go back to work as if nothing has changed. But they underestimate how hard it is. They often have trouble concentrating or notice that they have become very vulnerable emotionally. Just last week I saw a lady who said, 'I was so looking forward to picking up my work again, but I can't - I'm crying every day'."

Showing understanding

"A lot depends on the employer - whether they are understanding that a returning employee needs some time to re-establish themselves. Unfortunately, there are some employers who expect you to return to full strength from day one. I recently saw a lady who had not been replaced during her absence. When she arrived, her desk was full of overdue files. Understandably, she went under shortly thereafter. Colleagues can also help. Don't be too quick to say 'gosh, you look good' - because that's usually not how these women feel on the inside, but just asking every now and then if things are going and showing understanding - that already does a lot."