TWO women with incurable illnesses have told how they struggled to find work, while reminding others there is “light at the end of the tunnel”.

Between them, Debbie Sambrook, 47, and Katie Wills, 32, tallied up more than three years of unemployment, largely due to their chronic conditions.

Miss Sambrook, from Chelmsford, suffers with lupus – a serious auto-immune disease where the body’s immune system becomes hyperactive, attacking healthy tissue.

Miss Wills, who is from Billericay but works in Chelmsford, is a blue badge holder with cerebral palsy, a neurological condition affecting muscle control and movement.

Despite disclosing these conditions to potential employers, both suffered repeated rejection, resulting in subsequent low moods.

Miss Wills had 150 applications turned down in less than a year, she said.

But the break in the clouds came when the Job Centre signposted the pair to the £18m John Lewis superstore in Bond Street.

Miss Sambrook said: “I was out of work for two years, and because of the lupus I was sick.

“I think a lot of companies are wary of that because poorly people need time off. Also with lupus you run out of energy to do anything.

“Unemployment was a struggle – it’s a nightmare looking at four walls all day.”

Miss Wills, whose cerebral palsy affects her left side, added she had low moods and little confidence while unemployed.

But since starting work she is overcoming her troubles.

She said: “It’s hard because you put your heart and soul on the line – I applied for about 150 jobs.

“I was applying for jobs where I had a lot of experience, only to be turned away. They said I didn’t have enough experience, but I did.”

Miss Sambrook added: “If anyone else is in our position, remember there is light at the end of the tunnel.”