The Fractured Self of Filipino Educators with Life-Altering Health Conditions

This qualitative phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of Filipino educators navigating life-altering health conditions such as cancer, chronic kidney disease, and cardiovascular disease, while maintaining professional roles within a selected school division in Negros Occidental, Philippines, during School Year 2025–2026. The study aimed to inform administrative policies, enhance teacher well-being, and guide workplace accommodations. Semi-structured, expert-reviewed interviews were conducted and analyzed using Moustakas’s modified seven-step Van Kaam method to transcribe, code, and synthesize the narrative data into core thematic structures. The findings revealed "The Fractured Self" as the overarching theme, capturing an ontological crisis wherein educators experienced a dismantling of professional competence and personal vitality. This identity disruption encompassed four interconnected sub-themes: (1) Burden of Physical Debility and Sensory Distress, reflecting biological somatic betrayal; (2) Psychological Fragility and the Shadow of Uncertain Mortality, marked by emotional vulnerability and awareness of finitude; (3) The Veiled Self, involving social masking and seclusion to prevent professional alienation; and (4) The Dignity of Normalcy, characterized by resisting pity and negotiating professional image against patient reality. Ultimately, navigating a life-altering illness disrupted educators' physical capacity, emotional well-being, and professional identity, forcing a continuous inner negotiation between personal debility and professional dignity. To support affected faculty, educational leaders and managers must move beyond standard leave models by implementing flexible workload accommodations, establishing confidential and non-punitive disclosure channels, and offering structured, phased re-integration frameworks that honor teacher autonomy, preserve well-being, and mitigate professional alienation.