7 April 2018 - When breast cancer survivor Margie Foumakis was told she couldn’t come back to work part-time after an eight-month stint of chemotherapy and surgeries, her self-esteem dropped.

The 45-year-old mother-of-two was told the “dynamic” at her workplace had changed and she could only come back either full-time or casual with no guarantee of hours.

An Australian Bureau of Statistics survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers in 2015 found that of those who were of working age and had cancer, about 46% were not in the workforce.

James Cook University researchers analysed the data and found cancer not only affected Australians personally but had a direct impact on the nation’s economy.

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