When Cancer Derails Work

Cancer doesn’t just hit your body. It hits your identity, your routine, and your sense of purpose. And for a lot of men, it hits one of the biggest pillars in our lives: our work.

In this episode, I talk with my friend Jay Abramovitch about what happens when cancer derails your career. Jay was 36, in a leadership role, building a life with his wife, when a stage 3 colorectal cancer diagnosis changed everything. He kept working through treatment to hold onto normalcy.

But when treatment ended, that’s when the real reckoning began. The structure was gone, and he was left asking: Who am I now, and what do I want my life to look like?

What followed wasn’t a clean pivot. It was a couple years of feeling lost, trying different paths, and redefining his priorities — health, family, and purpose. Today, Jay works as a family support specialist helping people through loss. It’s not where he started, but it’s exactly where his experience led him.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

1. Cancer disrupts identity, not just health
2. The hardest part can come after treatment ends
3. Work can provide purpose — but also mask what’s really happening
4. Priorities shift: time, stress, and family take center stage
5. Career reinvention is messy and takes time
6. There’s no single “right” way back to work
7. Sometimes growth means moving toward what scares you

Organizations referenced in this episode

St John Ambulance

Ottawa Cancer Foundation

CCRAN

Colorectal Cancer Canada

Resources for navigating work, legal rights, and finances:

Cancer and Careers (workplace rights, job search, and career support during cancer)

Cancer Legal Resource Center (free legal help + workplace rights)

Triage Cancer (practical guidance on work, insurance, finances)

Patient Advocate Foundation (case management + job/insurance support)

CancerCare (counseling + workplace resources)

National Cancer Legal Services Network (connects you to legal help)

SPONSOR SHOUT OUT!

I want to thank my sponsor for this episode, Pfizer.

This Is Living with Cancer™ is a free online resource developed by Pfizer Oncology for all people​ living with cancer, regardless of age, income, race, location, cancer type, or stage of disease. This​ comprehensive program is available to anyone in the US, whether they’re on a Pfizer​ treatment or not, with a growing focus on those facing challenges accessing care.

Visit ThisIsLivingWithCancer.com to learn more.

I can't make this podcast happen without sponsors that believe in storytelling and the elevation of real patient voices.

All views are my own, and the opinions expressed in this show do not necessarily reflect the views or endorsements of our sponsors.