05/06/2026
Something I've been thinking about a lot lately is work.
In September 2025, while I was on maternity leave, an internal position was advertised. It was my dream job. I went for it and was lucky enough to be successful. I was so excited that I even ended my maternity leave early to start the role.
Just over a month later, Sonny was diagnosed with cancer.
From that moment, everything changed.
There was no way I could continue working. At best, we have weekly hospital visits. At worst, we're admitted unexpectedly with no warning. Add in chemotherapy, medications, appointments, sleepless nights, and the emotional toll that comes with having a child with cancer, and work simply wasn't possible.
I remember feeling guilty. Guilty for my colleagues. Guilty for the students. Guilty for letting people down. Then guilty for even thinking about work when my family needed me most.
In January, I was called into a meeting and told that my entire department would be made redundant in August.
The timing couldn't have felt worse.
When you're living one day at a time, trying to process your baby having cancer and learning how to care for them, the last thing you expect is to find out that the career you worked hard for, and the job you were so excited to start, is coming to an end before you even had the chance to truly do it.
Recently, I've heard comments suggesting that I should be back at work, that childcare should be split differently, or that I should leave my job and claim benefits.
The truth is, what our family chooses to do is nobody else's business.
Unless you've walked this path, sat beside a hospital bed, waited for blood results, rushed to A&E with a temperature, administered medications, managed feeding tubes, and carried the constant worry that comes with childhood cancer, you simply cannot understand the decisions families like ours have to make.
I didn't stay connected to my job because I was avoiding reality. I stayed because I didn't want to lose myself completely. Somewhere deep down, I was holding onto hope that one day Sonny would get better and I could return to the career I loved.
Cancer doesn't just affect the person diagnosed. It impacts every part of family life, including careers, finances, relationships, plans and dreams.
So before judging a parent caring for a seriously ill child, remember that there is almost certainly a story you cannot see.
We're all just doing the best we can with the hand we've been dealt. 💛
