I'm Marece Wenhold — PhD in public policy, nine years living with lymphoedema, and a researcher who knows the numbers: 52% of employees never tell their supervisor. 42% say it impacts their work. This exists to close that gap.
Built in New Zealand. Designed for every workplace.
"Lymphoedema at Work exists so that no one has to manage an invisible chronic condition in silence at work — in any workplace, anywhere in the world."
A social enterprise · Built on lived experience · Grounded in public policy · Backed by research
The complete system: manager scripts, adjustment templates, return-to-work process, team awareness, and signposting — licensed per organisation.
What to say, do, and avoid in the first 5 minutes after someone discloses lymphoedema. A focused, practical companion for the exact moment you need it.
For the harder days. Gentle reminders and permission slips for anyone living with lymphoedema — made to be shared, kept, and returned to.
Lymphoedema is long-term swelling, most often after cancer treatment. But living with it means constant invisible management — the compression garments, the flights planned around elevation, the hot days managed in silence. Because none of it shows, 52% of employees don't disclose their diagnosis to their supervisor at all. They push through and hope to be met with understanding, rather than risk being seen differently.
The cost of that silence is measurable. Among people with moderate to severe lymphoedema, annual sick days rise from 1.4 to 8.1 days a year — an increase of over 470% compared to those with milder symptoms. And 42% of people in employment say the condition impacts their work performance. The gap isn't a lack of willingness from employers. It's a lack of knowledge.
Source: Boyages et al., "Worse and worse off: the impact of lymphedema on work and career after breast cancer," SpringerPlus, 2016.
Manager conversations, practical adjustments, return-to-work process, and a culture where people feel safe to speak up.
Medical or legal advice. For anything clinical, we point to the employee's therapist or GP. For legal questions, to HR or an employment lawyer. We signpost clearly to both.
"Working Well With Lymphoedema" — five things every workplace should know. One page, instant download.
Download free →Scripts, templates, and a clear process for managers and HR. $299 per organisation, licensed for any workplace worldwide.
See what's inside →The lived-experience perspective brought into your organisation — for managers, teams, or your wider community.
Enquire →The one-pager is free for every individual, everywhere — regardless of whether their employer is ready to listen yet.
One free toolkit donated to a community or not-for-profit organisation every quarter.
Anonymised insights shared to advance understanding of lymphoedema in workplace settings.
Everything a manager or HR team needs to support a staff member with lymphoedema — clearly, confidently, and without overstepping into medical or legal territory. Practical, non-clinical, grounded in lived experience. Designed for any workplace, anywhere in the world.
Applies to any workplace, anywhere in the world. Free updates for 12 months from purchase.
Buy the toolkit Request a demoGeneral workplace guidance only — not medical or legal advice. Terms of use included with purchase.
A social enterprise. A portion of every sale supports lymphoedema awareness and community resources.
Marece Wenhold brings a rare combination: deep public sector expertise, rigorous data science, and nine years of lived experience. This isn't generic wellbeing content.
Also worked with or for
The following are from members of The Lymphie Sanctuary community — people living with lymphoedema every day.
Beyond the toolkit, we work directly with organisations and the networks that serve them. Built in New Zealand, designed for every workplace worldwide.
For managers, HR, or whole teams. The lived-experience perspective that turns abstract policy into real understanding and real change. Online or in-person.
Enquire →For EAPs, occupational health providers, and cancer support organisations who want this resource available across their client or member base. Annual licensing available.
Start a conversation →No jurisdiction-specific legal guidance — just the human, practical response that works anywhere in the world. Clients in NZ, Australia, the UK, and beyond.
Get in touch →We're looking for a small number of founding organisations to pilot the toolkit at a reduced rate — in exchange for feedback and a case study. If you're a NZ employer, EAP, or occupational health provider, get in touch.
Lymphoedema at Work grew out of The Lymphie Sanctuary — a private symptom-tracking app built from lived experience, and a global community that formed around it. People from New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, the UK, the US — all managing the same daily reality.
Everything in the toolkit comes from what that community has taught me: where workplaces get it wrong, what actually helps, and the difference a single understanding manager can make.
Visit thelymphiesanctuary.comThe toolkit helps the employer respond well. The Sanctuary helps the individual employee manage day to day. Together they're a complete offer — an organisation that truly supports its people, and a private tool that empowers the person living with the condition.
"People can tell when something is built by someone who understands. That creates a different kind of trust."
For organisations purchasing the toolkit, employee licences for The Lymphie Sanctuary app are available as a staff benefit. Ask us about bundled pricing.
Your health data never leaves your device — not even for a millisecond. This isn't a policy choice; it's how the app is built. The server stores only your email and licence key. Nothing else. Ever. Read the full privacy policy →
I'm Marece Wenhold. I hold a PhD in public policy and a postgraduate diploma in applied data science — I've spent my career helping organisations make sense of complex information. But the most personal challenge I've ever faced has been my own health.
About nine years ago, lymphoedema appeared in my left leg, unexplained. I manage it daily — the compression, the heaviness, the constant negotiation between a body that works differently and a life that doesn't pause for it. Like so many people in our community, I've had to figure out a lot of it myself.
What I also know is that the hardest part isn't always physical. It's arriving at a clinic appointment and genuinely not being able to remember your week. It's the invisible cognitive load of managing something that never switches off. And it's sitting at work wondering whether today is the day you say something — and deciding, again, that it's safer not to.
Living with a chronic invisible illness means constantly translating your reality for other people — doctors, family, and employers. I built Lymphoedema at Work to close the gap between that lived reality and what workplaces actually know how to do. Not medical advice. Not legal advice. Just the human part done properly.
— Marece
Five things every workplace should know — on a single page. Free. Instant download. Share it with your HR team or manager today.
Download the free guideNo email required. No signup. Just download and share.
Whether you're an employer, HR team, EAP, or organisation supporting people with lymphoedema — I read every email personally.
Email Marece directlyinfo@thelymphiesanctuary.com
Interested in piloting the toolkit at a reduced rate, or exploring an intermediary partnership for your organisation or network?
Start the conversation