When Giovanni Geremia, 44, found out he had cancer of the bladder in spring, his company was supportive initially. He was offered extended leave and the firm’s chairman would call regularly to check on his health.
But by the end of June, when it became clear there would be no quick fix for Mr Geremia’s condition, his contract was terminated.
It was the kind of blow that could easily break the spirit of ill people already at a low ebb.
He is one of many very good reasons a local charity organised a special jobs fair in Dubai yesterday, where cancer survivors were introduced to prospective employers in the hopes that misconceptions surrounding the disease would be countered.
Pure Hearts 4 Cancer, a volunteer-run organisation, gathered under one roof employers such as Majid Al Futtaim, Aramex and Thomson-Reuters.
Human resource specialists from nine companies screened prospective candidates, and gave advice on their recruitment processes and requirements.
The telecommunications provider, du, was among the prospective employers.
“A good employee is a good employee,” said Colin Christie, director of talent acquisition for the company.
Mr Christie said that surviving a serious disease such as cancer could help employees grow as people and thus make them more valuable to an employer.
“Having a big life-changing event changes your perspective. You can start viewing problems in a new way, which for an employer is a good thing,” he said.
Not all companies are so open-minded. Rania Amer, Pure Hearts 4 Cancer’s founder, said cancer remained a taboo subject in society. Through two years of involvement with cancer issues, Ms Amer has met several cases in which employers terminated the contracts of people who had the disease diagnosed.
“We have got cases where people have been let go because of the diagnosis,” she said.
Among those cases is Mr Geremia, who discovered he had cancer in April.
He had an operation in the UAE a month later and, initially, he was pleased with the way his company – a large retailer of household electronics and appliances – and his chairman supported him.
“He kept on calling me when I was off sick, being concerned. When he realised that there was no short-term fix, it was a long-term process, things changed,” said the former procurement manager, who had been employed by the company for 18 months before his condition was diagnosed.
The South African expatriate was offered leave and told he could have his job back once he finished treatment, but at the end of June, he was notified by letter that his contract had been terminated. He remains in the UAE under the sponsorship of his wife.
Mr Geremia said he was not surprised by the termination of his contract, even though he had previously been recognised by the company for his hard work.
“Once an expectation becomes quite demanding from the employee’s side, employers tend to shy away from that responsibility and the sooner they can wash their hands, the better for them, the better for the image of the company,” he said.
Last month, while doctors performed a surgery to reconstruct Mr Geremia’s bladder, they discovered a tumour in his colon. He is about to start a six-month-long round of chemotherapy. He said he had more important things on his mind than the job he lost.
“I have kind of made peace with it. If they find happiness out of doing what they are doing, good for them, there are better companies out there,” Mr Geremia said. “There are more important things to think about.”
For Mickey Juneja, working is a way to distract oneself from a scary diagnosis.
Fourteen years ago Mr Juneja was told he had advanced bone marrow cancer and had only two years to live. He said the diagnosis only increased his determination to live.
“You have got to work, keep yourself busy and be in a positive environment,” he said. “You have to keep telling yourself that you are getting better.”
In 2007, Mr Juneja was told by doctors he was in remission. Two years later, he started working for a recruitment company in Dubai.
He is still employed despite a relapse of the disease last year. He appeared calm while explaining he was looking forward to the middle of November to find out whether a recent round of treatment had been successful.
“We all fall sick and we all go for medication,” Mr Juneja said.
vtodorova@thenational.ae
