Inspiration: Finding a silver lining

Posted by Heather Ward | Posted in Business News | Posted on 07-07-2011

I’ve always been a huge fan of LinkedIn. As a recruiter for 15 years, I became an active user, spending most of my time on the site sourcing the best candidates for corporate clients.

So I was beyond thrilled to be recruited to join LinkedIn as an account executive in the New York Sales team earlier this year. In March, I started training at LinkedIn’s Mountain View headquarters. That’s when my ailments struck I had terrible back aches, stomach pain and a persistent cough. I wasn’t sure what was wrong, but I was determined to get through the training so I loaded up on ibuprofen to get through the week.

After returning to New York and undergoing extensive testing, I received some devastating news: I had stage 4 Lymphoma. I was shocked. It turned out I had a huge tumor near my kidney that was pushing on my back, stomach and lungs.

I went on disability just three weeks after joining LinkedIn, and I stayed in touch with my colleagues through my personal blog at CarePages. In one of my recent blogs, I recounted a dream I had about my guardian angel, an old blue Volkswagen bug with a headlight that winked and a front bumper that smiled at me. Now, whenever I feel like I may be in trouble, I get some peace when I envision that winking car on my shoulder.

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On June 16th, I celebrated my 39th birthday and went into the New York office for a short

I’m currently halfway through my chemo treatment. I feel great, and even though I have a long way to go, I know that with determination and hard work I can beat this thing (since that is my specialty!).

LinkedIn has played such a huge role in helping me to not only cope with this disease, but also giving me something to look forward to. I think about my colleagues every day — their support has motivated me to fight, get well and return to work. LinkedIn is so much more than just a website; we are an employer with some of the most caring, compassionate people I’ve ever met.

I feel truly privileged to be part of the LinkedIn family.

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