What about my education?

Secondary school
The treatment for blood cancers, as with many types of cancer treatment, will inevitably change your everyday routine. This can limit the time and effort you can put into school or college work. Someone will need to liaise with your school about any special requirements you have such as diet. This person can be:

• You
• A parent or other relative or partner
• A specialised support nurse

The contact at your school may be: 

• A school nurse, counsellor or pastoral care teacher
• A class, house or designated teacher with whom you feel comfortable 
• Your personal tutor

You can decide who knows about your illness. However, you should bear in mind who needs to know. For example, if there is a rule about not wearing hats at school, it would be useful to let the teachers know why you would like to wear one in advance to avoid any uncomfortable misunderstandings.

One of the most important things your school/college needs to know is how to deal with infections, especially chickenpox. It is vital that you do not come into contact with someone with chickenpox so the school should set up an ‘alert system’ and always get other students’ parents to inform the school if their child has chickenpox and keep you informed.

You can discuss with your teachers/tutors a plan for your education while you are being treated for blood cancer. It may include flexible timetabling so you only have to go to school for core subjects or if you are preparing for exams then you can devise a schedule to attend the most important lessons, or when you feel that you are able.

Throughout the entire treatment process, you are still part of your school/college, even if you are not there all the time. Your teachers should provide you with schoolwork if you feel up to doing it. Friends from school/college can provide a great support network, helping to keep you on the ball with your studies.
If you miss a lot of lessons you may be asked to retake that year at school, although this is avoided whenever possible.

Going off to college or university can be quite daunting for anyone but it can be really scary if you’ve just been treated for cancer. Some people find they feel more attached to their families after their treatment and opt to study closer to home while others see going away from home as a chance to regain independence. Either way, it doesn’t just have to be a scary time; it can be exciting too.

Tertiary Education (university, TAFE etc)
Treatment for blood cancers will cause a disturbance to your everyday routine, but that doesn’t mean you will have to give everything up.  Universities have a reasonably flexible timetable and much of the study can be carried out with minimal guidance. It is essential to keep your personal tutor informed so that they can offer you the greatest amount of support possible. The student union can be a good place to look for advice and support too.

As a university student you will find it relatively easy to defer for a year if necessary. Many students do study-years abroad or a year in industry and re-enter their course with a different group of peers.  While this may appear daunting, there will be many other people in a similar position.

What about work?
You will almost certainly need time off work while you are being treated for a blood cancer. As a cancer patient you are protected under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the Human Rights Commission and Equal Opportunity Commission can assist you. For more information see http://www.hreoc.gov.au/disability_rights/dda_guide/dda_guide.htm. These laws also protect you against discrimination by prospective employers in the future. Improved knowledge and education about blood cancers mean that discrimination is much less common but it is still something to be aware of.

It might be possible to claim a disability living allowance so it is worth speaking to a social worker, Centrelink or staff at the Leukaemia Foundation.

Your employer is obliged to make reasonable allowances for you while you are receiving your treatment so that you can either take some time off or have a more flexible working pattern. It can be very helpful to talk about your disease and treatment with your colleagues and boss; explaining how long you think it will last and what tasks you think you’ll be able to do. If you have important projects or deadlines you could choose a ‘work-partner’ for each of them so that if you have to take time off, the work still gets done. A system like this also takes a lot of pressure off you. A Leukaemia Foundation Support Services Coordinator can assist you with these discussions.

Try keeping in touch with friends and colleagues from work to let them know how you are. A quick e-mail or phone call can help reassure everyone that you are coping and have every intention of coming back to work.

For more information about legal issues involving health and lifestyle changes please take a look at WorkWelfareWills. This Victorian-based site provides information about Centrelink, insurance, privacy, and more.

For further state-based information about superannuation and insurance for blood cancer patients, please click here