Cancer Survivorship: Equal Opportunities Afterwards?

An article buried on the 29th page of the December AARP Bulletin caught my eye today. The topic is Kathy Adams, a 49 year old breast cancer survivor who it trying to serve our country in the US Foreign Service. She has passed the written and oral examinations, but then there is the breast cancer thing. She had undergone mastectomy and is apparently free of disease. However, due to inability to accommodate followup needs, according to the article, she is being denied this position which she otherwise apparently qualifies for.

Now, I may be missing something, or the story may be incomplete, but this is not the only story I have seen like this. There are a lot of intentional and unintentional discriminatory stories surrounding cancer survivors. The litigation is ongoing, and without getting on a soapbox, I thought this was an opportunity for an objective statement regarding your rights as a survivor.

If you feel that you have been dealt with unfairly in trying to obtain a job, or were let go, because you have cancer as a "disability", you should investigate the internal appeals process for that opportunity. If it is too late for that, you are free to contact the US Equal Opportunity Commission and see what your rights are. You can find them at www.eeoc.gov