Despite battling stage four lung cancer, she has chosen to remain working — but that comes with its own set of challenges. Having a strong-willed and driven spirit allowed Deepa to brave the odds of juggling work life and health needs in face of a pandemic. On top of grappling with the possibility of retrenchment, she encountered misconceptions about cancer at the workplace.
“They thought that my cancer relapsed because I wasn’t resting fully. In my case, my cancer had nothing to do with work,” Deepa recounts. “There is this thinking that once you’re hit with cancer, you have to rest and stop working. People can’t seem to digest the fact that I can still work in spite of cancer. Work makes me happy and keeps me occupied.”. Deepa felt uncomfortable about it when certain tasks under her care were given to other co-workers.
However, she would not let setbacks steer her fate. The SCS Return to Work Programme has built her confidence in navigating situations at work and improved her self-esteem. More importantly, it has given her a support system to handle work-related stress.
In Singapore, cancer cases have been on the rise over the years, and will continuw to increase. Beyond the disease itself, there are many worries that weigh on cancer patients and survivors, including their ability to keep their job and also to potentially return to work when their treatment is over.
The SCS Return to Work programme, pioneered by Singapore Cancer Society and supported by Roche Singapore (from 2021 to 2024), is aimed at helping patients understand their readiness to rejoin the workforce, secure jobs as well as cope and perform in their roles. Ultimately, the programme is anchored on the purpose of developing a sustainable professional support system beyond cancer rehabilitation – one that allows cancer patients and survivors to return to work and remain in jobs – by creating a network of cancer-friendly organisations. Some services offered include physical rehabilitation, occupational therapy, job therapy, psychosocial counselling and case management to meet the demands of working.
Ms Deepa Maurya’s inspirational story was also featured in TODAY where she shed light on challenges working PMETs with cancers faced. Read more