Teacher Worked During Cancer Treatment, Tears Over Her ‘Shocking’ Paycheck - Newsweek

A third-grade teacher who was diagnosed with breast cancer and continued working while undergoing 16 rounds of chemotherapy has spoken to Newsweek about the "shocking" circumstances that essentially left her working for free.

In April 2025, Stephanie Villaronga was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast at the age of 29. Practically overnight, she went from a healthy mom and teacher to someone whose world revolved around medical appointments and cancer treatment.

"It felt like my entire life stopped in one conversation. At 29, cancer wasn't something I ever imagined I'd be dealing with," Villaronga, from New York City, said.

As a third-grade special education teacher, Villaronga, now 30, worked through as much treatment as her body allowed. For months, she scheduled treatment around work or left early for appointments, telling Newsweek that she "didn’t have the luxury of not working."

New York City spreads teachers' earnings for the 10-month academic year across 12 months, allowing educators to continue receiving paychecks even when school is not in session. The summer payments are not additional wages but rather deferred earnings that have been accrued. As a result, extended leave can reduce the salary to be distributed over the summer if the employee has accrued fewer paid days during the contract year.

Despite being exhausted, nauseous and dealing with neuropathy, Villaronga continued showing up for work each morning.

Eventually, the decision was taken out of Villaronga’s hands when she needed a double mastectomy in December 2025. She had worked throughout chemotherapy, but her body needed time to recover from surgery, so Villaronga took four months of medical leave. During that time, she also received radiation treatment.

"What surprised me most was how difficult it was to qualify for help. Many programs look at your previous year's income, but I was working when diagnosed. That tax return doesn't reflect what my income looks like while I'm actively fighting cancer," Villaronga said.

When she returned to work in April 2026, she was still in active treatment but felt well enough to return to the classroom. Having fought so hard to keep working during chemotherapy, and then returning as early as she could after surgery, Villaronga was horrified by the letter she received from her insurance company in May.

She said: "The letter explained that I was responsible for paying back costs related to my coverage, as well as what they classified as an overpayment from the period I was on medical leave—half of my paycheck, even though I was not receiving my regular salary.

"Then, in July, I received another notice explaining that additional money would be withheld because teachers are required to work the full 10-month school year to receive full summer pay. As I had been on medical leave for cancer treatment and surgery, the result was essentially no summer pay when I was still undergoing treatment."

Villaronga was horrified as the financial consequences of cancer treatment kept mounting. With no pay all summer, the New York mom will not see any of her teaching salary until October. She did not expect the insurance deductions to be quite so significant, especially as she worked for as long as she possibly could.

Upon returning to work after a double mastectomy and still undergoing treatment, Villaronga was left with less than 20 percent of her regular pay. She described it as "incredibly defeating" to fight so hard, only to be left with so little.

"When I had my son and went on maternity leave, I received the weekly amount I was allotted, and when I returned to work, my regular pay resumed," Villaronga told Newsweek. "I assumed medical leave for cancer would work similarly. That's why what happened was so shocking.

"In some ways, I was given more financial grace when I took leave to have my son than when I needed leave because I had cancer. I'm incredibly grateful that protections exist for new mothers, but that made me question why we don't have comparable protections for someone with a life-threatening illness."

This ordeal has left Villaronga in tears as she did not take a vacation or sabbatical. She was diagnosed with breast cancer and required chemotherapy, surgery and radiation, yet she feels as if systems treat it like "a financial choice."

Her family has had to make several adjustments to her decreased pay. Villaronga has been documenting her experience on social media (@itstefunny on TikTok) and she has also created a GoFundMe to help.

As her treatment continues, Villaronga is grateful to still be fighting. Not only does she want to highlight the financial challenge that cancer poses, she also wants to show that physical recovery is a long-term process. She may be well enough to work again, but her treatment is ongoing.

Villaronga said: "More young adults are being diagnosed with cancer, and our support systems need to catch up with the reality. Surviving cancer shouldn't leave someone spending years trying to financially survive. We shouldn't have to wait until the next tax year for a piece of paper to prove that we're struggling. Assistance needs to be accessible when people actually need it—not a year later.

"To anyone going through cancer, ask for help and lean on people. We are really good at smiling and saying we're OK, but cancer is hard in ways people don't always see. It's physical, mental, emotional and financial."

Newsweek has contacted the NYC Department of Education and the United Federation of Teachers via email for comment and is awaiting responses.

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