SHAPE THE FUTURE . CHAMPION INCLUSION . UNLEASH POTENTIAL .
VALUE EVERY VOICE
Stephen Johnson — father of four , senior pastor and a Louisiana-based field supervisor with Cox Communications — was diagnosed with Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma in 2020 after experiencing abdominal pain . He went into remission following intense treatment , then had to resume treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic . During that time , he faced the added stress of his wife ’ s job loss as a direct result of the pandemic , combined with extensive medical bills . After repeated rounds of chemotherapy and with support from his co-workers and the Cox Employee Relief Fund ( CERF ), Stephen is now cancer-free . In his irrepressibly positive style , Stephen opens up about how the diagnosis changed his world , how it reinforced his faith and his relationships , and how it showed him what it means to be part of a company that treats employees like family .
BALANCING WORK WITH AN AGGRESSIVE TREATMENT REGIMEN
In the blink of an eye , I went from being a healthy 50-something husband , father and employee to being told I had lymphoma . When you get a diagnosis like that , unless you ’ ve had direct experience with it , you have no idea what it means . I learned I was dealing with something incredibly serious . In a matter of days , I had a team of doctors and started on chemotherapy . I tolerated the first treatments well and was able to continue working in the field . But as the treatment progressed , my supervisor and I worked out a schedule that let me alternate time in the field , time in the office and time to rest . It wasn ’ t until I had a recurrence and needed to go to MD Anderson in Houston for two months of life-saving treatment that I needed to take medical leave . Cox had just switched to the new flextime model when I was first diagnosed , and that was a huge help .
30 SPRING 2022