Back to Work

Back to Work focuses on equipping recovered bone marrow transplant recipients with the skills necessary to re-enter the professional workforce. Due to the debilitating effects of treatment, many patients find it difficult to resume work in their previous areas of employment. Their prolonged absence from the workforce during treatment, coupled with the reluctance of employers to hire a person with an ongoing medical condition, has made competing successfully with their peers for employment a near impossible feat for most transplant recipients.

The Back to Work program assists participants to develop mechanisms to cope with the residual effects of chemotherapy, as well as to undertake skills training while reassessing career goals to improve employability. By facilitating short term job placements at a partner firm, participants are able to gain confidence and re-establish themselves in the professional arena, with the view to gaining permanent employment at the end of the transition period.