Member-only story
I’m Self-Employed. And I Have a Brain Tumor.
Life has thrown me a curveball.
I’ve always been a planner. I run my one-person business like a well-oiled machine. I’ve saved money in a rainy-day fund, in case I lose a client or something unexpected happens.
None of those things prepared me for a brain tumor diagnosis.
In many ways, I’m lucky. The tumor is benign. It’s not impacting the “thinking” part of my brain. As I sat in the ER, waiting for the results of the MRI, I was terrified that I would lose who I am as a person. There are other risks to the surgery, but I’ll come out with my faculties intact.
But as the news sank in, I faced a devastating reality: my business will change, dramatically. At least for a period of time. It’s just me. I am a freelance content marketer and journalist. I have a blog, Substack, and newsletter, and I run all of those things by myself. I work with a virtual assistant, but there’s only so much she can do.
On top of that, the recovery from brain surgery is a huge question mark. Because of the tumor’s location, I might lose my hearing in one ear. Or have trouble smiling or using my arm. There’s absolutely no way to know in advance.
On top of that, there aren’t a lot of resources around “how to run a business when you’re dealing with a major medical issue.”
