Something happened over the holiday that shook me awake. A woman who stopped talking to me for her own reasons five years ago reached out to say she heard about my cancer and wanted to send her well wishes. Of course I didn’t ever expect anyone not to notice that i didn’t have cancer but I guess I thought I don’t know....that’s the denial. After conversations with my hubby and bro I realized I needed to take control of my narrative; and direct positive messaging on a professional level . We found a few articles/statements from other CEOs etc that talked about their cancer and working. I knew as heads of boards for several organizations i needed to send this messsge to my board members - i drafted a positive outlook for the future email for each organization and drafted my own paragraph which read “ I continue to remain deeply committed to sharp oversight and wanted to let you know that I have recently been diagnosed with a curable non Hodgkin’s lymphoma. I have already started chemotherapy treatments and will continue through early April. My doctors have assured me that the therapy will in no way effect my ability to contribute to the organization and I do not intend to let this effect our meetings, progress, and the work that will be done. I appreciate your care and concern and know that we all have challenges outside our professional lives that overlap and still must move forward.”
I‘m fortunate to have a caring attorney and pr rep who vetted the statement and sent it off late Friday afternoon. Immediately I got emails of love and support in return which I value above all else. I’m ready to move this forward. I’m not hiding from it I’m back in control.
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