Ahead of World Cancer Day on 4 February, MetLife strategic account manager Trang Tran (pictured), who has worked in the insurance sector for almost a quarter of a century, speaks to Health & Protection about her experience since 19 January 2022 – the day she was diagnosed with stage one breast cancer.
I’d been informed by my best friend living in London that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Her story was a wake-up call for me when I realised that I had missed a recent mammogram appointment. Life just gets busy, but knowing it was so important to attend my screening to help with early detection, I phoned the Breast Care Centre to rebook my appointment.
Two weeks later, I was called back, asking me to come back for a second test. This time, they performed a small procedure, another mammogram and X-rays.
I had felt fine in myself so I wasn’t too concerned and assumed I’d get the all-clear. Another two weeks later, I went back to the centre for the results. It wasn’t the news I was hoping for.
They told me I had breast cancer. But the good news was that they had caught it early and stage one meant less aggressive treatment. And that marked the start of my cancer journey.
Workplace benefits and support
My treatment was arranged through the private medical insurance available to me as part of my employee benefits package from MetLife. I’d rate the service and facilities I received as absolutely five star. And I also had a critical illness policy which was paid out within one week of the claim being submitted. And I used my private medical cover, employee assistance programme (EAP) and cancer pathway from my employee benefits.
As a result of all of this, I was seen so quickly. And having instant access to support, such as the EAP, meant I could call straight away, but it also meant when I wasn’t sleeping in the night, they were still there to support me, 24/7.
All of the services were so efficient and the speed at which I was seen was excellent.
I was given a single point of contact from the critical care team, who helped me immensely – from talking through treatment options to how I should approach the conversation with my children. I had support at each and every step – both medically and emotionally.
But at work – in terms of broader support from my line manager, direct team and colleagues, as well as HR support – I was helped around the clock in the run up to my surgery and following radiotherapy treatment to ensure I could continue working at the level which felt most comfortable for me, something I was very keen to do.
One thing I have learned throughout my cancer journey is that having a positive mindset is the key. I kept telling myself that I could do it, I could beat cancer. It gave me such a powerful strength to continue my treatment journey in a positive way.
Upon receiving my diagnosis, my worst ‘What if’ questions were overpowering. I wondered what I should do. Who should I tell? What happens next? How long will the treatment be? Will I be cured after treatment? How long must I take sick leave? Am I entitled to any financial support? As the bread winner in a family of four, how will this impact how I financially support my family? Countless questions appeared in my mind.
Having a positive mindset
While I didn’t have the answers for all of these questions, one thing I definitely knew at the time, and still now, was that having a positive mindset was going to be key in approaching what lay ahead and to help me get through the treatment process and beat cancer.
I have worked in insurance for most of my life and yet you just never think it is going to happen to you. Having such a sudden diagnosis helps to put everything into perspective. My health and my family will always come first, but I also look at life with a renewed vigour.
It’s easy to take the simple things for granted. I live near the sea, so just taking walks in the fresh air and just being more in the moment can be very powerful.
I am very thankful that I had a positive outcome, so time with my family and two children is so much more meaningful to me now. I proactively focus on diet and lifestyle choices, making sure I take time to relax and recharge. I’d encourage everyone to make time for their wellness.
Getting enough sleep can have such a huge impact on your overall wellbeing yet it’s easy to go to bed late and get up early when juggling family and work commitments. I am much more focused on factoring this in everyday so simple changes soon became healthy habits which can be easily maintained and consistent.
But the support of my employer was so invaluable. From my team, my line manager, HR, to the UK Executive Leadership team, everyone supported me at every step. I was very clear on all the support that was available to me, and I could start using this from day one.
Of course, your priority is your health, but work is so integral to my lifestyle, and I was worried about what would happen to my role while I was away. But my manager put me at ease and reassured me from day one that I had all the support I needed, and my role would be waiting for me just as soon I was healthy and ready to return. This was a real relief so I knew I could focus on my treatment plan and the road ahead.
Sharing my story
And when I returned back to work, I was committed from day one to share my story and carry out a mission to share my experience with the Owl Financial Adviser networks I work with, giving them a real-life account of how valuable the work is, providing protection for their existing and potential customers.
Last year, I shared my story during more than 190 meetings with Owl Financial Mangers and their advisers – emphasising how I beat cancer and how my cover had provided financial support when I needed it most.
I also shared my story at a company town hall with over 200 associates attending, because I felt so passionately about sharing the real impact of my benefits package. I also reinforced the importance of taking the time to focus on wellness every day and raising awareness.
As for how I’m doing today, I’m very lucky, I am here to share my story. I am cancer free and was able to return to a job that I love. I thrive on being around people and feel even more passionately about sharing the importance and value of protection with our clients and more widely in the industry.
I can now hand on heart say how important the value of having adequate life insurance is. No one wants to be the one to get that news, but if you do, face it head on with a positive mindset.
Never thought it would happen to me
Working in insurance for so long and believing passionately in the value of protection products is one thing, but I never in a million years thought it would happen to me. But it did.
So, I would encourage everyone to regularly review the support and protection you have in place, because sadly you just don’t know when you may need it.
When you are given such a sudden diagnosis your whole world changes overnight. Having my policies in place gave me far more than piece of mind and financial support, but meant I could focus solely on my treatment and recovery and dealing with the challenge ahead facing me and my family.
I’m now so passionate about sharing awareness to encourage early diagnosis. You should check yourself regularly and listen to your body.
If you find something unusual, go and see your GP straightway. We know that early detection is the key. Not everyone is as lucky as me.