Lindy's Back to Work
- FOX anchor Lindy Thackston is back to work anchoring the news at FOX59 News after having half of her left lung removed during a recent surgery.
- Thackston was diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer in May 2020, and she recently found out it spread to her left lung.
- Many people find that working during cancer, or soon after treatment, can bring a sense of normalcy and groundedness to day-to-day life during the cancer journey.
On Instagram this week, Lindy shared a pensive-looking selfie, captioning it, “Let's give anchoring with 1.5 lungs a try. Doing 6-7am all week!
#cancersucks #cancersurvivor.”
Read MoreView this post on InstagramLindy’s fans and followers were loving her look and her perseverance. Nicole Pence says, “Go Lindy Go!” Instagram user @annemarietiernon writes words of support to Lindy, saying, “You've got this.” And @operation_defeat_trixie praises the anchor for her quick rebound, writing, “That is amazing! My husband was out for almost 2 months and he had the smallest lobe removed. I'm so impressed with your recovery. I'll look for you.”
A fellow cancer survivor, @lukermichelle, suggests that Lindy go easy, saying, “Listen to your body. Don’t overwork yourself and have a setback.” Most of the comments from fans went unreplied to, but Lindy wrote back to the survivor, assuring her, ” I will, I got doc approval and am working 1/3rd my usual show.”
Lindy’s Journey with Cancer
Lindy Thackston was diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer in May 2020. She went public with her diagnosis, as well as her treatment plan. Thackston finished her chemotherapy treatment she had 10 rounds of chemo in spring 2021.
Thackston lost her hair while going through her cancer battle, as a result of chemotherapy. She boldly shared pictures of her changing look on Instagram, highlighting colorectal cancer and creating more awareness around this disease and its treatment.
In September of this year, Thackston shared with her fans on Instagram that her cancer had spread to her lung. She wrote, ” Unfortunately my biopsy came back with the news the colorectal cancer has metastasized to my left lung. I am now technically stage four, but the good news is, my oncologists say it's curable.”
Preparing for Lung Cancer Surgery
Working through Cancer
A cancer diagnosis can be a life-altering event, and finding pockets of normalcy during the cancer journey is often welcome. For most people, going to work every day if you’re well enough to do so can be an effective strategy for keeping things as “normal” as possible during an abnormal health event like cancer.
For Lindy, it’s clear from her social media posts that she loves her job and is eager to get back to it. Laurie Ostacher, a social worker at Sutter Bay Medical Foundation, says in an earlier interview how important a person’s career may be to them, even during the cancer journey. She explains, “Some women choose to continue working [through cancer] because working is a significant part of their identity, they enjoy the job, and there’s flexibility built in.”
“I help folks think about whether it makes sense to work,” she says. “If you really don’t want to but are worried you’re not going to be able to make ends meet, then I’ll sit down and help them figure out, you know, with your disability insurance, would this be possible?”
Ostacher explains the questions she might pose to women to probe them to think about how their work life might look through cancer. She says, “For women who choose to work, I help them think about what types of conversations do you need to have with their employer? How much information do you want to share with him or her? What type of work schedule seems like it might work for you? Where might you need more flexibility?”
Working During Your Cancer Treatment
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