When Women Get Sick: An Empowering Approach for Getting the Support You Need by Rebecca Bloom is a guide for women and their allies navigating serious illness (like cancer) within a healthcare and workplace system that’s often ill-equipped to support them. 

Here’s a brief synopsis:

• Bloom, a former benefits attorney turned women’s health advocate, draws on over 25 years of experience to help readers understand the intersecting systems of insurance, employment, and medical care.  
• The book covers practical topics such as how to build a support team, communicate with doctors, manage workplace policies and benefits, appeal insurance denials, handle incorrect medical bills, and stay emotionally resilient.  
• Through real stories, checklists, self-reflection prompts, and legal insights, Bloom empowers women to advocate for themselves (and to recruit advocates) in a system that can feel overwhelming or biased.  
• The tone is candid and practical: Bloom doesn’t sugarcoat the challenges, but her goal is to equip women with agency, clarity, and tools to reduce confusion and frustration while going through illness.