Deciding On Whether To Work Through Cancer
- Drummer Brad Wilk, 55, has revealed the beloved American rock band Rage Against the Machine won’t be playing live or going on tour anymore. It’s unclear whether they may record new music in the future, but the news follows Zack de la Rocha’s Achilles tendon tear and bassist Tim Commerford’s prostate cancer diagnosis.
- Commerford is not the first public figure who hasn’t offered all the details of his cancer battle. Health is a deeply personal matter, and it’s up to you, and you alone, to determine who has the right and privilege to know about your diagnosis.
- Some people can still work and go through cancer treatment, but others may want to take a break from work and focus on getting better. What you can do will depend on your stage of cancer, your treatment, and how you feel. What you shouldn’t have to worry about is getting fired for having cancer.
- “We always encourage people to continue to work if they are able to,” says Sarah Stapleton, a clinical social worker at Montefiore Medical Center. “I think it creates a sense of normalcy for patients.” If you’re able to work, you’ll be busy and you won’t be worrying all the time about how your treatment is going, she says.
It’s unclear whether they may record new music in the future, but the news comes a few years after his bandmate Zack de la Rocha, 53, tore his Achilles tendon and bassist Tim Commerford, 55, was diagnosed with prostate cancer.
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He concluded, “I’m sorry for those of you who have been waiting for this to happen. I really wish it was.”
Wilk followed up in a caption on his post, “Bottom of my heart … Thank you to every person who has ever supported us.”
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Back in October 2022, the musicians canceled their tour following de la Rocha sustaining a “severe tear” in his left Archilles’ tendon during a show. At the time, he said in a statement, according to the LA Times, “It’s been almost three months since Chicago, and I still look down at my leg in disbelief,.”
“Two years of waiting through the pandemic, hoping we would have an opening to be a band again and continue the work we started 30 some odd years ago. Rehearsing, training, reconciling, working our way back to form. Then one and a half shows into it and my tendon tears. Felt like a sick joke the universe played on me. As I write this I remind myself it’s just bad circumstances.”
Prior to that, the group’s tour dates were canceled due to the 2020 pandemic, but they later reunited for a short time in 2022, until de La Rocha’s injury.
Later that year, the world of rock and roll found out another musician was battling prostate cancer when Rage Against the Machine’s Tim Commerford shared news of his diagnosis.
“I’ve been dealing with some pretty serious s–t,” Commerford told Spin in December 2022. “Right before I was about to go on tour with Rage, I had my prostate removed, and I have prostate cancer.”
He continued, “I’ve been someone that’s taken a lot of pride in being in shape and taking care of myself… But it’s something where either you’re either lucky or not.”
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Referring to how he was doing before the tour in 2022, Commerford said, “Two months before the tour, I had surgery and my doctors said I wasn’t going to be ready. That was brutal. I would be on stage looking at my amp in tears. Then you just kind of turn around and suck it up. Because of Zack’s injury, we had planned these little video interstitials that came in between blocks of songs.
“We were meant to go on stage, play some songs, go off stage, and on to the interstitials for a few minutes. It was seamless. Then he got hurt and we couldn’t leave the stage. So during the interstitials, we’re just sitting there. That was surreal. I would sometimes sit down and try to not think about certain things. It was weird. I kept it to myself throughout the touring we did and it was brutal.”
Expert Resources On Coping With Cancer
It’s unclear exactly where Commerford is at with his cancer journey now, but it should be about time for another check in to test how he’s doing post-treatment.
Commerford told Spin, “I just got my six-month test, and it came back at zero. I was like, ‘F–k yeah!’ That’s the best I can feel for the rest of my life.
“Every day I get closer to that test is like, ‘F–k man, is this going to be the time when the number is going to go up and I’m going to the next thing, whatever that is?’ I already went through some pain and shit. And I’m continuing to go through like, some crazy shit.”
After Commerford’s cancer diagnosis, the band’s guitarist Tom Morello told Rolling Stone in March of last year, “Rage Against the Machine is like the ring in ‘Lord of the Rings.’ It drives men mad. It drives journalists mad. It drives record-industry people mad. They want it. They want the thing, and they’re driven mad.
“If there are Rage shows, if there are not Rage shows, you’ll hear from the band. I do not know. When there is news, it will come from a collective statement from the band.”
Coping With a Cancer Diagnosis
Commerford is not the first public figure who hasn’t offered all the details into his cancer battle. Health is a deeply personal matter, and it’s up to you, and you alone, to determine who has the right and privilege to know about your diagnosis.
Dealing With Grief After a Cancer Diagnosis
Receiving a cancer diagnosis is never an easy process, but SurvivorNet doctors recommend not blaming yourself for the disease.
One helpful suggestion for cancer warriors at the start of their cancer journeys is to learn more about the disease to calm the fear of the unknown.
Additionally, asking your doctor additional questions and even seeking a second opinion can help ease the initial shock and anxiety associated with a new diagnosis.
“I think it’s really important for them to be able to hear it multiple times, take notes,” Dr. Heather Yeo, colorectal surgeon at Weill Cornell Medicine, previously told SurvivorNet.
“I support second opinions. I actually think it’s really important. I mean, if you think about it in life, how do you choose someone to cut your hair? You get an opinion, right? You usually don’t just go in and sit down with the first person you see on the street and say, cut my hair. You ask around,” Dr. Yeo added.
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Turning towards family and loved ones is another suggestion SurvivorNet experts recommend for cancer warriors embarking on their cancer journeys.
It’s important for cancer warriors to know they have a strong support group behind them. It helps them alleviate anxiety and depression as cancer treatments become more intense over time.
Dr. Shelly Tworoger, a researcher at Moffitt Cancer Center, told SurvivorNet that there’s a number of common things cancer patients can experience, such as anxiety, depression, financial toxicity, social isolation.
Knowing you have loved ones by your side at every step and help you process those emotions and cope with your new reality during your journey.
Deciding Whether To Work Through Cancer Treatment
Some people can still work and go through cancer treatment, but others may want to take a break from work and focus on getting better. What you can do will depend on your stage of cancer, your treatment, and how you feel. What you shouldn’t have to worry about is getting fired for having cancer.
“We always encourage people to continue to work if they are able to,” says Sarah Stapleton, a clinical social worker at Montefiore Medical Center. “I think it creates a sense of normalcy for patients.” If you’re able to work, you’ll be busy and you won’t be worrying all the time about how your treatment is going, she says.
Some people may need to make adjustments, like being closer to the bathroom, or having a lighter workload. However, there may be times when you realistically won’t be able to work, whether that’s because you have to take time off to go get treatment, or you’re too weak after treatment to come in to the office. In those cases, most people use some of their vacation days or apply for unpaid family medical leave, Stapleton says.
Luckily, if you do find yourself needing to take off work amid a cancer battle, Stapleton says you can’t be fired for having cancer. However, if treatment interferes with your ability to do your job, or come into work at all, you may run into some issues.
Under both federal and state laws, employers are expected to make reasonable accommodations to assist employees with cancer. This many include things like extra paid time-off, shorter work hours during treatment, or offering remote work when possible.
However, employees are not expected to provide accommodations that cause “undue hardships” or “significant difficulty or expense,” according to the U.S. Equal Opportunity Commission.
In many cases, people who need to take significant time off from work for cancer treatment (or to care for someone in their family with cancer), are protected by the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).
The FMLA allows eligible employees to take up to 12 work weeks of unpaid time off with job protection, meaning you’d have the same job (or a similar job with similar pay) when you return. The FMLA also requires employers to offer the same health insurance coverage during leave.
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Depending on where you live in the U.S., state laws might provide even more benefits to people who need to take time off from work for cancer treatment.
“Sometimes patients can work through their treatment for the beginning until their side effects become too overwhelming or other things come up,” Stapleton explains. “And at that point, [patients] generally exhaust all their vacation and sick days and the next option is family medical leave.”
“It depends on the employer on how many months or days you would get. You do not get paid during that time, but it makes sure you have job security.”
Building Support, Staying Connected
If you were recently diagnosed with cancer, you likely know about the wide range of emotions that news can bring. This is one of the most difficult phases of the cancer journey to overcome.
However, it’s during these early stages that a team of supporters can be most useful. Your supporters can be made up of close family members and friends. Your support group can also be filled with people from outside your inner circle.
“Some people don’t need to go outside of their family and friends circle. They feel like they have enough support there,” New York-based psychiatrist Dr. Lori Plutchik tells SurvivorNet. “But for people who feel like they need a little bit more, it is important to reach out to a mental health professional,”
One of the benefits of having supporters includes helping alleviate stress and anxiety following your diagnosis. Supporters can also help advocate for you during treatment.
Sometimes it is not always easy to share news you have cancer even among loved ones. In instances like these, you can seek out a trained professional to center your support group around. Mental health professionals can help fill this space because many are trained to help you navigate your cancer treatment.
“Make sure that the mental health professional that you work it is reaching out – with your consent – to the rest of your team, to the oncologist, to the surgeon. It can also be helpful to reach out to family, friends, and any other caretakers that may be involved in the person’s treatment,” Dr. Plutchik said.
WATCH: Seeking Support After a Diagnosis
Dr. Plutchki recommends cancer patients consider the following three steps to get the help you need after a diagnosis:
- Step #1: Seek additional support if you need it (this could mean speaking to a mental health professional or seeking out a support group)
- Step #2: Look for a mental health professional who has experience helping people in your situation.
- Step #3: Keep your care team connected – this may include your friends and loved ones, your therapist, and the doctors who are treating your cancer.
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
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