Work Saved My Life

Work saved your life? Really? I am here to say it really did and I can share my story on how I reached that conclusion.

I battled leukemia in 2010 (original diagnosis) and 2011 (relapse and bone marrow transplant). Then, in 2015, leukemia returned in the form of a solid tumor in the brain—the size of an orange. I went through a long, 9-hour surgery to remove the tumor followed by several treatments of chemo and radiation to ensure all of the tumor was gone. My life was saved, but I was left physically, mentally, and emotionally weak. I slept most of the day and any physical activity (e.g., walking up 5 or 6 stairs) wiped me out.

The recovery was long and difficult. It took at least 3 months before I felt any energy to work. But I wanted to work. I had a drive to get back to work. But I knew I had limitations. I wondered if I could do my job as Chief Scientist at TiER1 Performance Solutions—a very brain intensive job. And I had a decision to make: Should I take long-term disability and forget about trying to work?

I struggled with that decision. I had a drive to get back to work, but I knew that I would not be able to just turn it back on and be at my former level of productivity and contribution. The easy choice was to just take the long-term disability and stay in bed, to rest. But this thought hit me: What would I do all day? I would not be creating value. I would not have a purpose. I would not be coaching and leading a team. I would not be learning. In my heart I could feel this thought: If you take long-term disability, you are probably not going to live. I don’t know where that came from, but it was the most present thought I had. And I knew it to be true. I couldn’t take long-term disability, even though that sounded like a gift. I had to find a way to get back to work. And so, I started on that path, working at a slow pace and building up to full-time over several months.

It is now 3 years later and I’ve seen the wonderful benefits of fighting to get back to work. There are some cognitive limitations (e.g., short-term memory loss) due to the surgery and radiation treatments, but I (and my wife) probably notice that the most. Those limitations may not be as obvious to others who don’t see me on a daily basis. And I’ve been able to “win” at work—leading a research team who continues to grow and do significant and meaningful work for the federal government.

I’ve had several follow-up appointments with my neurosurgeon over the past 3 years. During a recent appointment, he paused, looked at me with caring eyes, and said this: “Work saved your life.” I asked him what he meant by that. He explained to me that the damage to my brain from surgery and radiation is similar to the damage to a muscle. It needs to be exercised in order to heal and reconstruct new pathways. He told me that lying in bed—doing nothing, not thinking, having no purpose—would slowly starve my brain of the needed ingredients to heal. And then he said, “You likely would have died if you had made that choice.”

We know this. God designed humanity to work from the beginning. We work because our Creator works, and we’re made in his image, to reflect him. Genesis 2:15 tells us that “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” Work is a gift from God, not a curse. I love what the Holman Bible Dictionary says about work: “God has infused the act of work with meaning and divine significance, enjoining upon humans an obligation to engage in work even as God works.” 

Ecclesiastes reinforces that work has genuine value. “So I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work. Then I realized that these pleasures are from the hand of God.” (Ecclesiastes 2:24, NLT). And probably the most recognized scripture on work is from Colossians: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” (Colossians 3:23-24, NIV). When we view our work as a gift from God and that our ultimate purpose is glorying Him in our work, we then find the most meaning in our work.

Meaningful work is really important. I’m glad I fought my way back. I’m grateful to be in a place where I can find meaningful work. It truly saved my life.

Amazed by His love,

Terence