Second Grade Teacher Ashley Saaranen on Why She Worked During Cancer Treatment

While we would never encourage anyone undergoing cancer treatment to exert themselves in a way they don’t feel up to, a lot of survivors tell us that maintaining a normal, or somewhat normal, work schedule can actually help a lot during treatment. Second grade teacher Ashley Saaranen is one of those survivors. Ashley says that teaching is what got her through chemotherapy.

“Teaching through chemotherapy was the best thing for me,” Ashley says. “The kids I teach with have been phenomenal. It was the reason I survived chemotherapy … I really, truly believe that. When I tell people that I have cancer, adults are very sad … they’re worried. When I told my class that I have cancer, they weren’t scared. They knew that we would get through it together.”