Two-time Cancer Survivor, One-Time Mother

Sarah E. McDonald is a two-time cancer survivor and one-time mother of daughter, Rory. She has spent the majority of her 30-year career in the technology industry, 14 years of which were at eBay, including the period while she was battling cancer. Sarah received her MBA from Cornell University and her BA from Occidental College. Beyond cancer, Sarah is interested in all things people-related – especially when paired with food, wine, the outdoors, and/or music. Sarah lives in Mill Valley, CA with her husband, Geoff, and daughter, Rory. The Cancer Channel is her first book.

Most Popular Topics:

The Cancer Channel overview: A story of hope

“1 in 3 women and 1 in 2 men will be diagnosed with cancer during their lifetime.”

• American Cancer Society

Why talk about this? Most employees will deal with cancer in their lifetimes either as  a friend, family member or close colleague or as a patient. This interactive presentation is designed to give employees candid, first-hand accounts of what it’s like to have cancer while providing ideas and tools on how to better support those facing a challenging health crisis.

Target audience:  Employee cancer survivors; Employees interacting with those diagnosed with cancer

Themes: Self-advocacy, Resilience, Hope and humor in the face of crisis

Talk content: Through stories, both heart-wrenching and (at times) funny, Sarah shares her career and fertility journeys – both interrupted by two shocking cancer diagnoses made within months of one another in the same year. She details viscerally the lived experience of a cancer patient to both provide hope and humor to those diagnosed with life-threatening diseases and to encourage greater understanding to those who love and/or work with those diagnosed with life-threatening diseases.

Takeaways: Little things can make a big difference when supporting someone who’s fighting for their life / Our relationships are what is most important / Challenges raise our quality of life benchmarks

Leadership lessons during a year of cancer treatments

Target audience: Male and female leaders within a company who are looking for lessons learned during a time of crisis and/or wish to develop greater understanding of employees in crisis

Themes: Resilience, Humor + grace in the face of crisis, tools for building more supportive environments

Talk Content: Sarah shares via humorous stories her 14-year career journey at eBay which was interrupted by two unrelated cancer diagnoses simultaneously. She details viscerally the lived experience of a tech exec diagnosed with cancer and the lessons she learned about leadership during her year of treatment and beyond.

Takeaways: Say what you see / Our human connections are what is most important / What to do (and not do) when you team member is in crisis

How to develop resilience during personal crisis

Target audience:  Male and female leaders who are curious about ideas on how to develop greater resilience in the face of personal or professional crisis

Talk content: Through stories told from her year of cancer treatments, Sarah explores the resilience she found within herself to survive not one, but two cancer diagnoses.

Takeaways: How to tap into resilience you already have / Lead with heart – not head / Our human connections are what is most important

Fertility journeys: Balancing personal dreams with professional goals

Target audience:  Women and men (employees) who have struggled with fertility

Talk content: Sarah shares her fertility journey while in her 40s, which included the decision to pursue an egg donor. Her baby dreams were interrupted by two unrelated cancer diagnoses made within weeks of her scheduled IVF. She details viscerally the difficult decisions made both before (and after) her cancer diagnoses.

Takeaways: Juggling the personal and professional / Being your own best advocate / Focusing on the prize

How to support employees in crisis

Target audience:  People managers who manage (or will manage) employees with life-threatening diseases

Talk Content: Through stories both heart-wrenching and (at times) funny, Sarah shares her career journey and fertility journey – both of which were interrupted by two unrelated cancer diagnoses made within months of one another. She details viscerally the lived experience of a cancer patient to encourage greater understanding and empathy from those who work with and manage those diagnosed with life-threatening diseases.

Takeaways: Human first, manager second / Developing effective plans for the humans involved / Checking in and showing up