[Nancy]

I work as a bank teller -- I need my job for the income and the health insurance. I also like the friendship of the people I work with. Before I got cancer, I worked Tuesday through Saturday from 8 in the morning to 4 in the afternoon. But, after my diagnosis, my cancer doctor suggested I take chemotherapy once every three weeks for six cycles. He said he could give me the drugs as an outpatient in his office. The best day to do this, he said, was on Fridays, and it would take the whole afternoon.

[Nancy]

I found out that the ADA, the Americans with Disabilities Act, gives me the right to a "reasonable accommodation," such as a change in my working hours, to allow me to see my doctor. So, I worked out a plan. I asked a co-worker to switch days with me during the six weeks I will receive treatment. I then asked my boss if I could work on Mondays instead of Saturdays and leave early on Fridays every third week until my treatment was finished. I also gave my boss a letter from my cancer doctor explaining that I should feel well enough after the Friday treatments to return to work the next Tuesday. The doctor's letter also pointed out that I would probably need to receive treatment six times, but after that I could probably return to work on my regular schedule. The way I planned it, switching my schedule with my co-worker, I could get the medical care I needed without losing my job, and the bank would not have to waste money hiring and training a new teller. I was able to create a win-win situation that my boss agreed to.

[Narrator]

Another federal law, the Family and Medical Leave Act, requires employers with 50 or more employees to provide up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave. Employees can use the time to take care of their own serious illness or to care for a seriously ill child, parent, spouse, a healthy newborn, or a newly adopted child. Employers must continue to provide benefits -- including health insurance -- during the leave period.

[Narrator]

State and federal anti-discrimination laws help cancer survivors in two ways. First, they discourage discrimination. Second, they offer remedies when discrimination does occur. But, you should sue for protection under these laws only when all else fails. Lawsuits can cost a lot of money, take months or years to decide, and do not always bring fair results. Try to avoid discrimination in the first place. If that fails, try to reason with your employer. If that doesn't work, you may have to file a lawsuit. Let's hear from Charles, a professional cancer-care advocate.

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