Hi everyone, today I want to share the post-cancer diagnosis decision of Nicola Mendelsohn, Global Business Group Director at Meta. Today's content will include quite a bit of direct excerpts and summaries from Nicola Mendelsohn's interviews, because these stories are both shocking and powerful.
At the end, I'll share something that has been on my mind constantly and has triggered me to think more deeply about decision-making.
Who is Nicola Mendelsohn, Meta's Global Business Group Director?
I'll refer to her as Nicola for simplicity.
Before joining Facebook, Nicola had already worked in the advertising industry for over 20 years, during which she became the Deputy Chairman of the renowned British advertising company Grey London, and later became a partner and Executive Director of advertising agency Karmarama. Nicola is also a devout Jew who observes Jewish traditions with her family every week.
Meta's products include Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Quest VR, with a current market value of over $800 billion. When Nicola joined Facebook in 2013, she was primarily responsible for the EMEA region (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) as Business Director, and in 2023 she became Global Business Director.
It seemed like Nicola's career was smoothly ascending. But then came a major disruption.
2016: Diagnosed with Blood Cancer
"In November 2016, I was 45 years old, living an amazing life. Flying everywhere. The children were thriving, family life was good. I was busy and felt great. I had a small lump in my groin, very small, like the size of a pea. Honestly, I wouldn't have thought much about it. But I have a very good female friend who is a doctor. She felt it, and I could tell from her eyes that she wasn't optimistic. I asked her what the problem was. She said she didn't know, but you need to see a specialist."
— Nicola Mendelsohn
"I went to see the doctor alone because I really didn't think there would be any problem. I had a CT scan and went home. It was Friday, and when I got home I put my phone aside and was busy doing other things. Later I picked up my phone and saw so many missed calls, from my doctor friend and from 0207 numbers I didn't recognize. I still remember that feeling, like physical nausea."
— Nicola Mendelsohn
"I called Lisa, my family doctor friend who lives nearby. It was the longest five minutes. She told me the scan showed I had tumors throughout my body, all over my chest, under my arms, everywhere. They didn't know what it was. This began the worst weekend process of our lives. Searching everything online, trying to figure it out, because you can't find doctors on weekends."
— Nicola Mendelsohn
"As someone who is used to knowing what I want to do, being in control, making things happen, like you, you can't do anything."
— Nicola Mendelsohn
"I was diagnosed with what's called follicular lymphoma, which is an incurable blood cancer."
— Nicola Mendelsohn
"I still couldn't believe this was happening to me and was happening. From flying everywhere, full of challenges, life being normal, and then suddenly it changed. I cried for a long time, cried very hard. I remember it was a very real physical feeling."
— Nicola Mendelsohn
18 Months After Confirmed Diagnosis: First Treatment and What Followed
"This cancer is very different—I didn't receive any treatment for the first 18 months. Because doctors understand they can't cure it, and there might be new treatment methods, so they need to watch and wait. After 18 months, I started entering the treatment phase. At that time I was at risk of kidney failure, which was a blow. Then I underwent six months of chemotherapy and 18 months of immunotherapy. This put the cancer into a state of remission. They call it no evidence of disease."
— Nicola Mendelsohn
"We had masks and hand sanitizer at our front door in 2018 for anyone coming in. I didn't go to movie theaters. I didn't go out, didn't take planes, etc. I had to be very, very careful because my immune system was completely destroyed. And during COVID-19, although I was vaccinated, the vaccine didn't work for me. So for me, lockdown or these measures would never end."
— Nicola Mendelsohn
Why Continue Working?
"Some people might think that if they were diagnosed, they might withdraw from work and just stay at home. Or decide to end many things and relationships, spend all their money and go to Las Vegas."
— Nicola Mendelsohn
"This never crossed my mind. I think I've always been very intentional in my life about focusing on what's important to me and what I want. I love my work. It's a big part of my identity."
— Nicola Mendelsohn
"I wanted to keep everything as normal as possible because I felt very happy with my life. If I was physically healthy, I wanted to work. I've always been healthy. Even during chemotherapy, I was able to work."
— Nicola Mendelsohn
"I would never go back to that weekend. So I made sure to protect myself through what I did, through what I could control, to gain that strength."
— Nicola Mendelsohn
"I controlled some things I could control, regarding lifestyle and diet. At the same time, living more intentionally."
— Nicola Mendelsohn
If It Were Me, What Would I Choose?
If I were diagnosed with cancer—not a cancer that would immediately worsen and cause death, but like Nicola's follicular lymphoma. This type of lymphoma, when properly controlled, has a high probability of providing more than 10 years of life expectancy, possibly even longer (though it could also be shorter). It's like having a time bomb installed in your body that can never be removed, and you never know when this bomb will explode.
During this period, I also heard the story of a pastor (Zhuang Yuming) who said his son had a dream one day. Someone took him to see his father's (Pastor Zhuang Yuming's) life story, and that book documented what Pastor Zhuang Yuming accomplished each year. However, that book only went to page 78, with no next page. Pastor Zhuang Yuming said this dream made him more aware of life's limitations and brevity.
After hearing these two stories, I keep thinking:
Would I continue working in my current job? Or would I terminate my current work and start doing what I truly want to do? What is it that I truly want to do? Or how would I allocate my time? Would I choose to work only three or four days a week at my current job, spending the remaining time on so-called truly important things? If my current work isn't truly important, then why do I still need to do it? Do I have sufficient love for my current work?
Actually, I don't have answers to these questions. But if I seriously consider my life having only ten or twenty years left, I might make different choices.
So I've continuously made adjustments and attempts.
I've thought about various topics this newsletter could develop for a long time, and written quite a few experimental articles and videos. Currently, I've narrowed it down to the theme of "Decision & Positioning," with the newsletter as the core focus.
Of course, there's still the possibility of continued adjustments and attempts in the future. But when I think about my life constantly counting down, it makes me seriously face whether this is something I still want to continue doing.
If you like this newsletter's content, welcome to share it with friends for subscription. I look forward to continuing to share stories about decision-making and positioning with everyone.
BTW, since today's topic touched on life and health-related themes, I'd like to recommend a berry specialty store I love. All products pass hepatitis A testing! IQF (Individual Quick Frozen) technology prevents clumping and bacterial growth! Perfect for direct consumption, juicing, baking, yogurt, and ice cream. When work is busy and there's no time to cut fruit for nutrition, I personally love Greek yogurt with these berries—Mediterranean diet style!