Sarah Donnelly: How work kept me going during my cancer treatment
Sarah Donnelly: Jak praca pomogła mi przetrwać leczenie raka
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
że mam raka piersi.
that I had breast cancer.
and at first, I didn't.
and I needed some evidence.
więc potrzebowałam dowodu.
to where she was sitting
over her shoulder and verify
i zweryfikować,
on the page in front of her.
na kartce leżącej przed nią.
to believe it, I said,
you're sure that means cancer?"
the urgent things that needed to be done
przekazałam najpilniejsze sprawy
to see if my cancer had spread.
żeby sprawdzić, czy są przerzuty.
work wasn't my priority.
to tell my family and friends
jak powiem rodzinie i znajomym,
and whether I was going to be OK,
to start a family.
założyć rodzinę z moim partnerem.
how I was going to tell my mother,
when she was pregnant with me.
będąc ze mną w ciąży.
to have to relive her cancer experience.
wspomnienia z tamtego czasu.
a huge role in my treatment and recovery.
ogromną rolę w moim leczeniu,
otherwise felt like a statistic.
that would give me routine and stability
difficult personal decisions
trudne decyzje osobiste,
reconstruction I was going to have.
o rodzaju rekonstrukcji piersi.
to my family and friends for support.
to moi koledzy i koleżanki z pracy
in my day-to-day life.
w codziennych zmaganiach.
the ones to make me laugh.
of really good in-jokes,
someone ask me
jak ktoś pyta mnie,
i doskonałe włosy,
of course, a wig,
in the mornings very easy.
z ułożeniem włosów.
I appreciated what their support meant,
have done without that network.
co bym zrobiła bez tych relacji.
women in particular,
głównie z kobietami,
to have that network
the opportunity to work through treatment.
w trakcie leczenia.
to overly paternalistic employers.
zbyt autorytatywni pracodawcy,
and focus on yourself.
z pracy, skupili się na sobie
are well-meaning,
that they couldn’t or shouldn't work,
że nie mogą lub nie powinni pracować,
and physically can do.
what an employer is required to do
co pracodawca powinien zrobić,
with a cancer diagnosis.
cancer is considered a disability.
rak oznacza niepełnosprawność.
your usual work duties,
wykonywać swoich obowiązków,
by the Disability Discrimination Act
niepełnosprawności zobowiązuje pracodawcę
to your working arrangements,
w zakresie twoich obowiązków,
adjustments look like for me?
w moim przypadku?
my diagnosis was going to have on work.
będzie miała moja choroba.
during business hours,
to recover from surgical procedures.
po zabiegach chirurgicznych.
on what to expect from treatment.
czego mogę oczekiwać po leczeniu.
was through Doctor Google,
za pomocą Doktora Google,
and I wouldn't recommend that.
i czego nie polecam innym.
for all the physical side effects,
was this thing called chemo brain.
zwane chemobrainem.
through memory loss,
powoduje utratę pamięci,
pracować jako prawnik,
my job as a lawyer.
have a discussion with my manager
to my working arrangements
how I was going to be impacted?
jak choroba na mnie wpłynie.
a supportive manager
bo mój szef wspierał mnie.
how things went as we went along,
jak się sprawy mają
a concrete plan up front.
było zaplanowane z góry.
he may not have even known
zapisów o "należytych dostosowaniach",
of reasonable adjustments,
common sense to everyone.
will learn how it impacts them
obserwuje, jak ono wpływa na niego
that I learned about the treatment itself,
różne triki w leczeniu,
you're really well hydrated
the nurses to find your veins.
bo to pomagało pielęgniarce znaleźć żyły.
any of your favorite food,
ulubionego jedzenia
throwing that up
chcieli na to patrzeć.
want to look at it again.
for managing my workflow.
żeby radzić sobie z pracą.
on a Monday morning.
I left the cancer care unit,
z poradni onkologicznej
before this fog screen would come down
zanim docierało do mnie zamroczenie
and make any urgent calls.
i wykonywałam ważne telefony.
within about 48 hours.
w ciągu 48 godzin.
into work from home.
and I knew what to expect.
czego się spodziewać.
with my business partners
potrafiłam zaplanować,
the hesitation in their voices
by a certain time.
w określonym czasie.
of setting a good deadline.
nieprzekraczalnego terminu.
to put any extra pressure on me
dodatkowego nacisku
within my control
that could stay in my control
things that couldn't.
nad którymi nie panowałam.
should be applying this concept
in our current age,
w obecnych czasach,
by the age of 85.
longer and longer into older age,
jesteśmy aktywni zawodowo,
while we're in the workforce
że poważnie zachorujemy,
zdalną pracę w dowolnym czasie,
to work anywhere, any time,
are no longer contingent upon
nie dotyczy już jedynie tego,
to physically make it
pracować w biurze.
or a comfier chair to sit in,
wygodniejszego krzesła,
the flexibility policies and strategies
with family responsibilities.
którzy mają obowiązki rodzinne.
are even having a conversation
choćby samą rozmowę
might look like for them
until you're better."
dopóki nie poczujesz się lepiej".
with their employees.
z pracownikami.
from working through treatment,
z pracy podczas leczenia,
to guide these conversations,
poprowadzić takie rozmowy
colleague of mine, Camilla Gunn,
koleżanka Camilla Gunn
for those diagnosed,
dla osób z diagnozą,
and their coworkers
and the work support available.
i wsparcie zawodowe.
to other organizations
some pretty awkward conversations.
of the toolkit is increasing.
korzysta się z tego niezbędnika.
a manager's first response
how it's going to impact their work?
wpłynie na jego pracę?
are able, and want to,
i chcesz pracować,
an arrangement for you
people with serious illness
dla ludzi ciężko chorych,
pushing them away.
because I want you to know the benefits
żebyście wiedzieli,
podczas leczenia.
punkt widzenia,
going through treatment
poddająca się leczeniu
osłabienie i ciągle wymiotuje.
were true some of the time,
to push myself at work
because my employer gave me the choice.
bo pracodawca dał mi wybór.
obvious choice to give someone,
offered or encouraged.
czy zachęcają do takiego wyboru.
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