Hi Jennifer, 

I am so sorry that you are going through this. Your situation has many dimensions including the practical aspects of choosing to leave or stay, as well as the psychological and emotional aspects. Admittedly because I am a career coach, my perspective tends to focus on the importance of being gratified, feeling productive and meeting your core values. Yes, a paycheck and benefits are necessary for most people, and in your case STD is indeed a huge benefit. 

This said, what I do know is that not only are you dealing with the huge burden of dealing with an incurable disease but you also are dealing with the stress of what sounds like a toxic environment.  If you choose to continue to work in these conditions, your self-esteem and confidence will erode and the longer this goes on, the harder it will be to recover, even when you actually do leave your job. This will certainly not help your health. 

So, I vote for going on interviews and taking charge of your career. If you need more help in the process, please don't hesitate to write again. Good luck Jennifer!

Take care,

Julie

Hi Jennifer,

I think it is smart to think the way you are thinking, and it is going to be a very tough call because you are right it would be very difficult to get access to disability insurance for you now (possibly impossible). Do you feel like you may need to use it in the nearer term?  Have you discussed this with your healthcare team to get a sense of what they see your disease progression looking like?  Have you reviewed the policy you are on now?  You might want to reach out to one of the legal resources listed on the National Cancer Legal Services Network to discuss your specific policy (http://www.nclsn.org/). Julie is right to bring up the questions of do you want to spend your time in such a toxic space, and that can't be underestimated but neither can access to a benefit like short term disability.  I would advise learning as much as possible about what you have now, and getting a sense of what your trusted team of healthcare pros thinks so you can feel as confident as possible about your ultimate decision.

Lastly, you don't happen to live in CA, HI, NJ, NY, RI or Puerto Rico by any chance? Those places all have state disability insurance, which you pay into out of your paycheck.

Good luck, and don't hesitate to respond with additional questions.

Best,
Rebecca

Rebecca V. Nellis
VP, Programs & Strategy