After a diagnosis drew him lower than he'd ever felt, cancer survivor John Stubbs talks about his journey back to good health and to work – in a hugely important role. For more from Mr Stubbs, read his engaging interview, 'Getting back to work'.

“You don't feel real. You feel disbelief – why me, why us? – then hurt, crying, blame, guilt, anger, just before acceptance – and there comes a point where you actually do accept it – then the will live comes and you soldier on.”

John Stubbs was diagnosed with a chronic form of leukemia, chronic myeloid leukemia, in 1999 and told he had from three to five years to live. He was lucky enough to find a matching bone marrow donor on the international register and after nine months of continued treatment and now more than seven years of remission, the cancer is behind him. “I've pulled through,” he said, speaking at the People at Work Conference in Adelaide, South Australia.

At the conference he spoke frankly about what it was like to live with and manage cancer. As a cancer patient, he said, “you manage issues of self, your meaning, identity – it takes a hell of a whack when you get cancer.” He said interactions with other people are affected, and discussed the way some people started to look at him differently.

Battling fatigue was one of his biggest obstacles. “This fatigue was something you just can't describe to anyone, it takes over your whole body and your whole mind. You lose confidence and self-esteem because of that fatigue. You're so tired nothing else seems to matter.”

While Mr Stubbs was learning to manage these things, he was also coming to terms with the new medical world cancer had thrown him into. “When you get cancer it's a whole new language. You go through this unknown,” he said. “You also go through great highs and serious lows.”

What helped him out of the lows?

He found recognition of his situation crucial, and gave an example of his haematologist recognising his deflated spirit somewhere along the journey and recommending he speak to a psychologist. “I was suffering some depression. That report with your clinician is really important – she noticed a change in me.” Because of her observation she could advise Mr Stubbs to seek professional emotional support.

Mr Stubbs believes being informed is the key. That belief has been a driving force towards the work that occupies him today – he is the executive officer of Cancer Voices Australia, a national network providing a forum for people in Australia affected by cancer.

“Getting information out there is really important. Involve the family; they're an integral part of the cancer journey. I wouldn't have got through this without my family and extended family.”

“A positive attitude is really important to have. You can't be positive all the time, but it's really important.”

“What gives you a boost is also getting back to work,” he said. For the last six years Mr Stubbs has been involved in cancer advocacy. For more on how he returned to work after his cancer treatment, and what helped him along the way, read RTW Matters' interview with him LINK.

Cancer Voices Australia provides information and news about what's happening in the world of cancer. Check out the site: Cancer Voices Australia