Sarah Donnelly: How work kept me going during my cancer treatment
Sarah Donnelly: Comment travailler m'a aidée à tenir pendant mon cancer
Westpac's Sarah Donnelly wants to encourage more open conversations about why and how an individual might continue to work while undergoing treatment for serious illnesses. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
from my doctor's office
in my lunch break, and my doctor said
ma pause déjeuner, et elle m'a dit
that I had breast cancer.
m'annoncer que j'avais un cancer du sein.
and at first, I didn't.
au début, je ne la croyais pas.
and I needed some evidence.
Il me faut des preuves.
to where she was sitting
et suis passée derrière elle
over her shoulder and verify
on the page in front of her.
la page en face d'elle.
to believe it, I said,
pas y croire, j'ai dit :
you're sure that means cancer?"
sûre que ça veut dire cancer ? »
the urgent things that needed to be done
occupée des tâches urgentes
to see if my cancer had spread.
pour voir s'il s'était propagé.
work wasn't my priority.
le travail n'était pas ma priorité.
to tell my family and friends
à ma famille et à mes amis
à leurs questions
and whether I was going to be OK,
si j'allais tenir le coup,
to start a family.
how I was going to tell my mother,
comment le dire à ma mère
when she was pregnant with me.
quand elle était enceinte de moi.
to have to relive her cancer experience.
son propre cancer à travers moi.
a huge role in my treatment and recovery.
pendant mon traitement, et ensuite.
otherwise felt like a statistic.
de n'être qu'une statistique.
that would give me routine and stability
une routine et une stabilité
difficult personal decisions
tant de décisions difficiles
reconstruction I was going to have.
de reconstruction mammaire j'allais avoir.
to my family and friends for support.
le soutien de mes proches,
in my day-to-day life.
dans ma vie de tous les jours.
the ones to make me laugh.
une équipe assez soudée
of really good in-jokes,
des blagues privées,
someone ask me
quelqu'un me demander
des cheveux si parfaits et si brillants
of course, a wig,
in the mornings very easy.
le matin pour me préparer.
I appreciated what their support meant,
j'ai compris l'importance de leur soutien
have done without that network.
j'aurais fait sans eux.
women in particular,
des femmes en particulier,
to have that network
d'avoir cet environnement
the opportunity to work through treatment.
travailler pendant leur maladie.
to overly paternalistic employers.
à des employeurs trop paternalistes.
and focus on yourself.
vous vous concentriez sur vous-même
quand vous allez mieux.
phrases qu'ils utilisent.
are well-meaning,
de bonnes intentions,
that they couldn’t or shouldn't work,
dire qu'ils ne doivent pas travailler
and physically can do.
la capacité de le faire.
what an employer is required to do
aux obligations d'un employeur
with a cancer diagnosis.
cancer is considered a disability.
considère comme un handicap.
your usual work duties,
accomplir vos tâches habituelles,
by the Disability Discrimination Act
discrimination liée au handicap,
to your working arrangements,
les ajustements nécessaires
continuer à travailler.
adjustments look like for me?
ajustements dans mon cas ?
my diagnosis was going to have on work.
que cela aurait sur mon emploi.
during business hours,
planifiés sur les heures de travail,
to recover from surgical procedures.
après les interventions chirurgicales.
on what to expect from treatment.
m'attendait pendant le traitement.
was through Doctor Google,
a été trouvée sur Google
and I wouldn't recommend that.
je ne le recommande pas.
for all the physical side effects,
les effets secondaires physiques,
was this thing called chemo brain.
était le brouillard cérébral,
through memory loss,
résoudre des problèmes.
my job as a lawyer.
mon métier d'avocate ?
have a discussion with my manager
avec mon responsable
to my working arrangements
how I was going to be impacted?
le traitement aurait sur moi ?
a supportive manager
bienveillant et à l'écoute
how things went as we went along,
les choses comme elles venaient,
a concrete plan up front.
un plan précis dès le départ.
he may not have even known
jamais entendu parler
of reasonable adjustments,
d'ajustements professionnels,
common sense to everyone.
le cas pour tout le monde.
will learn how it impacts them
découvrira comment ça l'affecte,
that I learned about the treatment itself,
rapport au traitement lui-même
you're really well hydrated
the nurses to find your veins.
l'infirmière à trouver vos veines.
any of your favorite food,
throwing that up
want to look at it again.
for managing my workflow.
pour gérer au travail.
on a Monday morning.
très tôt, le lundi matin,
I left the cancer care unit,
je quittais le service d'oncologie,
before this fog screen would come down
avant d'avoir l'esprit embrouillé
and make any urgent calls.
mes mails et passer les appels urgents.
within about 48 hours.
into work from home.
and I knew what to expect.
mais je pouvais anticiper.
with my business partners
avec mes collaborateurs
the hesitation in their voices
l'hésitation dans leur voix
by a certain time.
of setting a good deadline.
de fixer des délais !
to put any extra pressure on me
pas me mettre la pression
de ces délais imposés.
within my control
que je pouvais maîtriser
that could stay in my control
things that couldn't.
should be applying this concept
devraient appliquer ce concept
in our current age,
à l'époque actuelle
by the age of 85.
d'un cancer avant 85 ans.
longer and longer into older age,
de plus en plus vieux,
while we're in the workforce
pendant notre carrière
to work anywhere, any time,
de travailler quand et d'où l'on veut,
are no longer contingent upon
to physically make it
effectuer votre travail
or a comfier chair to sit in,
fournir une chaise plus confortable,
the flexibility policies and strategies
ces mesures d'assouplissement
with family responsibilities.
des responsabilités familiales.
are even having a conversation
ne serait-ce qu'une discussion
might look like for them
en terme d'ajustements
leur employeur est de leur dire :
until you're better."
jusqu'à ce que vous alliez mieux. »
with their employees.
avec ses employés.
from working through treatment,
et en ont tiré avantage
to guide these conversations,
conduire ces entretiens
colleague of mine, Camilla Gunn,
Camilla Gunn,
« Travailler avec un cancer ».
for those diagnosed,
aux patients atteints,
and their coworkers
et à leurs soignants,
and the work support available.
et des aides professionnelles possibles.
to other organizations
d'autres structures
some pretty awkward conversations.
qui peut être délicat.
of the toolkit is increasing.
le livret est de plus en plus utilisé.
a manager's first response
la réponse d'un employeur
lui annonce sa maladie
how it's going to impact their work?
cela aura sur son travail ?
are able, and want to,
capable et en avez envie,
an arrangement for you
trouver un arrangement
continuer à travailler. »
people with serious illness
atteintes de maladies graves
pushing them away.
because I want you to know the benefits
pour que vous sachiez les bienfaits
quelqu'un sous traitement
going through treatment
fragile et ne fait que vomir.
were true some of the time,
to push myself at work
because my employer gave me the choice.
on m'a donné le choix.
obvious choice to give someone,
de laisser le choix,
pas encouragé, ni même proposé.
offered or encouraged.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Sarah Donnelly - LawyerWestpac's Sarah Donnelly wants to encourage more open conversations about why and how an individual might continue to work while undergoing treatment for serious illnesses.
Why you should listen
Sarah Donnelly was diagnosed with breast cancer at 30 years of age -- a story all too familiar among young women in her family. She chose to continue full-time employment throughout treatment and is living proof that work can play a crucial role in a person's mental and physical recovery from a serious illness. While her employer backed her decision, Donnelly has learned that the way organizations approach this issue varies greatly. This has sparked a personal mission to encourage more open conversations about why and how an individual might continue to work while undergoing treatment.
A lawyer by trade, Donnelly is currently the Head of Group Secretariat at Westpac. She is an ally for GLOBAL, Westpac Group's Employee Action Group for LGBTIQ employees, a member of Women of Westpac, an advocate of Breast Cancer Network Australia and volunteers with Vinnie’s Van. She is an avid traveler and, when at home in Sydney's Blue Mountains, can usually be found out on a trail.
Sarah Donnelly | Speaker | TED.com