A prostate cancer diagnosis is a devastating moment that 1 in 8* men will experience in their lifetime. But it's the many moments after the initial shock when the disease can truly takes its physical, mental and emotional toll.
Battling prostate cancer and coping with the residual effects of treatment can be very taxing. During and after treatment many men of working age who want to return to work encounter a variety of challenges.
Sometimes a survivor may not able to return to his previous job or take on any form of employment as physical, cognitive or psychological limitations might make certain tasks difficult or impossible to complete. If the work is labour intensive, requires heavy lifting or is otherwise physically demanding, some survivors may no longer be able to perform their previous tasks as effortlessly as they used to.
Many survivors also struggle with cognitive or psychological issues. They might have difficulty keeping pace with their colleagues, concentrating, processing data and/or providing analysis and they may struggle when faced with learning new tasks.
If it is determined that return to work is not possible, either in the short-term or the long-term, a survivor may be entitled to receive disability benefits available to them through their employer or private health benefits they have purchased on their own.
If a survivor is unfairly denied a medical benefit or suffers unjust repercussions upon returning to work, it is important for them to know they are not alone and there are ways to right these wrongs.
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