With unemployment continuing to run rampant, the amount of job hunters is increasingly omnipresent. One cause of unemployment is people’s lack of understanding of one’s situation along with the lack of confidence on behalf of said person. In a report with Business Insider, for example, job seeker Krystal Garmon shares her story with the community:

“In 2013, I was diagnosed with Stage 1 kidney cancer and cervical cancer. As difficult as this was to live with, I still pursued my dream job of a beauty content manager despite my own beauty not reflecting. When I finally made it through the application process, I was invited to a Zoom interview with this one company (company name is intentionally anonymous). The interview went great. They explained what the job entails, asked me questions, and said I came across as ‘really kind’. I was very excited and knew I had the job in the bag”.

Garmon continues, a bit more emotional, “The problem was that, since having cancer treatment twice, my hair had never grown back. I always have a wear a hat to keep my head covered. After the interview, I overheard the staff talking amongst each other saying my hat looked ‘silly’ and ‘unprofessional’. They said things like, ‘Did she even know she was in an interview?’ and wondering what color my hair was. Suffice it to say, they never moved forward with me, disregarding my friendly follow up emails”.

“To live in a generation where you can’t truly express yourself and your struggles”, Garmon concludes, “is sickening”. “Do you know my hair is uneven? Do you know I have bald spots? Do you know how embarrassed I am to explain what I’ve endured? Do you know I look far less professional if I didn’t wear the cap?”

Garmin further explains she has friends diagnosed with similar diseases explaining that their diagnoses makes their job search frustrating as well. She has also explained that it would be “the last time [she] wears anything to hide [herself]” and that she’ll “wear her history and struggles with appreciation”.

As of February 2023, Garmin’s story has been shared thousands of times over various social media platforms. She even has 5 tentative interviews scheduled with her over Linkedin. “I am amazed by the messages of love and support by cancer survivors such as myself”, she posts on Instagram. “Stay strong sisters, we’ll get through this”.