When you ask this question to a person who is going through a cancer crisis, what answer do you expect to hear? Are you prepared for total honesty?

Some people expect cancer patients to come back with dire details about treatment or to voice their fear of death. But if your colleague is coping and moving forward, you may not get this reaction at all. Would you be disappointed?

People may have certain expectations of a coworker who has been diagnosed with cancer. Many people have set expectations about how a person should be reacting. And when the person with cancer doesn’t fulfill those expectations, they don’t know what to do or say. It is important to understand that although the person with cancer is moving through a crisis and has changed in some ways, he is fundamentally the same person.

Remember that your colleague's performance could be sporadic. If your colleague is still working, he may be experiencing fatigue. Some cancer treatments like chemotherapy can cause incredible fatigue for patients. Chemotherapy can also cause short-term memory loss and interfere with concentration. He may not be able to perform as well or as hard as he once did.