With a bit of trial and error, Pure Heart is working and evolving to put cancer survivors into jobs across the UAE.
Physical and mental cancer treatment side effects can be temporary or last for many years and have the ability to affect a survivor’s job eligibility. According to the Gulf International Cancer Centre (GICC), chemotherapy can give lasting symptoms from ‘chemo brain’, resulting in neuropathies that affect movement and feeling. Radiation therapy can bring on nausea, skin irritation and burns, hair loss and fatigue - this sometimes results in survivors only being able to work part-time.
Mohsin Riaz is a cancer survivor who is using Pure Heart to find a job. He was only 25 years old when his doctor found a tumour on his spinal cord after complaining about back pain and numbness in his legs.
“I went down to the hospital and then I was told that I have a spinal cord tumour, and it needs to be operated as soon as possible,” Riaz said. “On top of that, the doctor told me about the complications which might occur. I might not be able to walk for the rest of my life.”
Riaz’s surgery to remove the tumour was successful and he was able to walk. He even found a job, but when he began radiation therapy, he had to resign. That’s when he got in touch with Raina Amer, the founder of Pure Heart.
“I found Pure Heart really great because they were doing something really nice for the people, helping them out by conducting job fairs and seminars,” Riaz said. “I am 27 years old now, still looking for some good opportunity in Dubai, and I have this feeling that, by the grace of God, I will find a better job for myself.”
Pure Heart has held three job fair events since its opening in 2011. The biggest problem Amer has is that companies come to the event more so because it gives them positive publicity, showing their corporate social responsibility. They have managed to help 20 cancer survivors find job positions through their job fairs and although Amer is happy that they have been able to help, she wishes to see more survivors finding jobs.
“We moved from not having job fair events unless we have companies that are serious about hiring and are not just looking for marketing. We have moved to workshops and training,” she said.
Amer’s struggle for corporate accountability is keenly felt by the survivors. Giovanni Geremia had an open-ended contract with a company when he was diagnosed with cancer two years ago, which allowed them to terminate his services with no explanation.
“The owner of the company ended up being rather two-faced,” Geremia said. “He was changing the story after conversations with Human Resource, when he said that I could get six months off.”
After getting his tumours removed surgically and undergoing chemotherapy, Geremia was taken off treatment and started looking for a job.
Geremia said: “I was tired after treatment. It takes the better part of a month to get the chemo out of your system, but with every day you start to feel stronger.”
He found Pure Heart by recommendation. He had originally approached a retail supplier from his field that was known for getting involved in corporate social responsibility, but they were not willing to help him, however they directed him to the organisation.
Geremia began working with Pure Heart and was on his way to finding a job. A few months later, he was diagnosed with cancer again, and has had to take time to rest once more. Sometimes, you just have to keep going and fighting.
Three-time cancer survivor, Hala Herzallah never gave up and she was able to go back to her old job with Amer’s help.
“Thirteen years ago, I started with lymph node cancer – Hodgkins disease,” Herzallah. said. “I did chemotherapy and it went away.”
She got married and had her first child after that. But, five years later she had to have surgery to remove cancer in her lungs. Again, she made a full recovery and had another baby.
“After three years, I got cancer again. I got breast cancer. I didn’t want to have treatment and I didn’t want to do anything,” she said.
Herzallah became apathetic to the struggle. But her husband and family encouraged her to keep fighting, and finally, she did. After surgery and chemotherapy, she lost her hair, suffered from fatigue and was told she couldn’t have anymore children. But, she did – she got pregnant only two weeks after treatment, and now has a healthy boy.
Pure Heart helped her to return to her old job. “I knew Raina [Amer] and when Pure Heart came along, I was told I could work fewer hours,” Herzallah said.
She beat cancer three times, had three children and is now back to work. Herzallah’s story leaves many with inspiration and shows how Pure Heart helps.
Amer added with a hint of urgency: “We need for organisations to become more active in our program – for them to engage and go online and hold workshops. It has been difficult for us to get companies to become active.”
