Careers
Lawyer Battled Ovarian Cancer While Working as SEC Commissioner
Posted Oct 28, 2009, 09:24 am CST
By Debra Cassens Weiss
Lawyer Elisse Walter had complained to her doctor of pressure on her side before her appointment last year as a commissioner on the Securities and Exchange Commission, but there was no immediate diagnosis.
It wasn’t until after she went to work in the new post that Walter learned of her ovarian cancer diagnosis, USA Today reports. Walter’s surgeon removed her uterus, part of her colon, the back wall of her vagina and her appendix. She later went through six rounds of chemotherapy, staying in contact with the office by e-mail and phone.
Walter told USA Today she juggled her new job along with her cancer fight. “Because I had this new position—it was something I was so excited about, it was something I was so geared up to do—I was really motivated to do everything I could" to manage the job and the illness, she said.
She believes her determination to keep working helped her mental attitude and her recovery, the story says. Peter Cappelli, director of the Center for Human Resources at the Wharton School, told the newspaper that corporate executives and government officials are increasingly keeping up with work while coping with serious illness. "What we are seeing is people not hiding it as much," he said.
Walter has been told that 65 percent of those with her diagnosis survive five years. She expects to be among the survivors, the article says. "I've never been in the bottom third of a class,” she told USA Today.
Related information:
American Cancer Society: “Heed Early Warning Signs of Ovarian Cancer”