Sikcell: People living with Sickle Cell
We still Hope
What's up with Jobs not giving a F?
Excuse my language but whats up with employers being rude and insensitive as hell when it comes to employees with sickle cell. I have been fired from like my last three "real" jobs all because of my attendance; which was due to me being in frequent crisis. It's like they just dont care....if u dont have cancer or frikin MS or something then your illness doesnt count. I read sickle cell warriors' blog the other day (which i so love) and I read how she was in the hospital and her job was so f-ing inconsiderate and threatened to fire her if she didnt return...I literally was almost in tears when i read that because its soooo F-ed up!! I'm a server and i have to constently call out because I'll drain myself until im in severe crisis and my managers just act as if im the worst person in the world. Like my one manager the other day was like i dont care if u have a doctors note you have to get ur shift covered and if u cant then u have to work. Bitches!!! I bet if i went to work one day in crisis and fell out crying in the middle of the restaurant they wouldnt say a damn thing to me again. Anywho...sorry for the language but it just kills me to see us go through this. Like one of my job's actually told me...I know you're in the hospital but you're costing me money and i dont think i can continue to be so nice and let you still work here. (can we say Law suit!)
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Bukky Ade on
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WOW
are you serious?
I cant kinda of relate cuz I'm out of school alot and theres like two teacher who just wont cut me any slack. liKE i CANT CONTROL IT.
Then I have the understanding teachers who try to work with me.
I didnt think it would be like that for the work forest too.
SMH at those employers.
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Permalink Reply by *Shawnii* on
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yea it is a lot worse actually...im in school too and my professors sometimes cut me some slack...others dont care and dont really understand but...i guess thats just the life of a person with SCD...we have to put up with so much bullshit and pain but yet we still make it through...
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Permalink Reply by Sickle Cell Warrior on
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You read my blog? Awwwww! *blushing*
Okay, I totally get what you are saying. I've had some stupid bosses in my life that didn't get it. Most people don't understand when you say " I have sickle cell anemia" what that means. So usually when I state that, I got into an exaggerated description of the pain...and tell them that I'm in pain majority of the time. I don't know how you could be a server with Sickle cell girl...more power to you! I could never be able to pull my weight in such a hectic environment.
My friend worked as a dishwasher and he got fired for missing shifts. I think that as Sickle Cell warriors, we have to be our own company, and only work in places that we know we can deal with the work load. Like instead of working as server, try for a job as a receptionist, call center person or secretary..something easier to handle that isn't so physically demanding.
Don't get me wrong, I'm a nurse, and that's a constantly physically demanding job. But at the same time, working in healthcare gives me an edge because my boss and coworkers have come in contact with sickle cell before. Yours haven't...so it's up to you to EDUCATE them. Only we can break the ignorance that exists in this world.
Also, consider applying for the Family Medical Leave Act if you are eligible...u should be. Pretty much, by qualifying for this, your doctor fills the paper, and the government will pay your job the days you missed...and so they can't fire you. I don't know if the hospitality industry does this...but that's why going to another field might be more beneficial, not only for the work, but for the benefits.
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ya know the funny part about that is that the last 3 jobs i was fired from were 1. front desk agent @ a hotel, 2. A customer service rep 3. A reservationist.....all of them were easy and sit down jobs but because of that it made it a lot worse when i missed days there, especially as a front desk agent, So i figured i'll become a Hooters girl...(ooooo aaaah) lol...because servers are flexible and can give ur shift away or even if u dont they can still manage to function with less girls. I dont know if they have FMLA but i definitely have to find that out...and yea most people have no idea what u mean when u say u have sickle cell. I told my old boss what it was and the life expectancy and she seemed to get it and understand then two weeks later she was holding it in my face again, lol.
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Shawnii,
I don't know what else to tell you...looks like you did everything I would have done. They might not have FMLA for a server position, it's most fulltime jobs that have FMLA. I hope you find a job that better understands what you are going through...or a least a company that has a better sick policy. Being a server is really hectic though, don't know how u do it. Have you considered working in a hospital? They have more flexibility with sick days. You could work in the medical records office, organizing/picking up files and such, nothing major...and the whole office won't shut down if you miss a day or two.Or perhaps work from home as a medical transcriptionist or medical coder. Your own hours and you get paid per job. Where do you live?
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I live in Laurel...20 minutes from baltimore...and work in baltimore...
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well that attitude is kinda surprising considering Bmore/DC is one of the epicenters for sickle cell in the US. I used to live in Bmore!!! Do you go to the Johns Hopkins sickle cell clinic? Maybe you could ask a social worker there to recommend a few places to work that are sickler friendly...just a thought.
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Shukura you are so right with that. There are some lobbyists but definitely not enough to make the changes that sickle cell warriors need. That's one of my long term goals....I'm studying right now to get that initials after my name, get all legit and go to DC to make some waves!
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Permalink Reply by Ade Dotun on
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i am sorta worried about this now cos i finish my masters program in may and will be on the job market, hope not to get fired or anything cos it did happen to me before too, but cant you sue for that, cos isnt it discrimination
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Permalink Reply by DrD on
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The war on sickle cell has to be fought on many fronts. On the medical front, we still have not found a cure despite the fact that this was the first disease for which the molecular basis was first fully know. It is now 100 years since the discovery of sickle cell disease (at least by the western medicine), yet there is no universal cure in sight.
On the communinty and government fronts, we have a lot of educating to do. We have to know the law and our rights and help our sister and brothers to do the same. We have to lobby Washington and every state capital. We have to do this individually (......Go Vixen) and collectively via our local Sickle cell chapters, nationally and internationally. We have to talk, sing, write and blog about it.
You have every right to be angry, however, lets get that anger to action.
Shukura, do you know any HR person that can write a good review (How to) for us?
Vixen also poses a question I've asked before, What vocations are open to us? What kinds of jobs can/can't we take up?
Shawnii, when you go for your next interview, perhaps you should interview your employer too. ask them if they have heard of sickle cell disease, ask them what they know about SCD and whether their policy covers this. The answers you get might be telling. If you find the right company, even if it takes time, it will be one you will be with for a long time!
lol
DrD
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Permalink Reply by Veon A. McGlory on
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I remember a time when i was working and actully went into something like a pain crisis my chest was burning and my back felt like it was on fire i was still in training then so the trainers said that i could go home bt i would be fired from the job since i was still so in training. I went home on my break took some pain meds and went back to work and was falling asleep in training so one of the trainers took me out and said if you cant stay awake then were going to have to fire you so then i went to the into the break room and got a mtn dew so i could stay awake then i went back to training i was awake but out of it and this girl in my training class kept asking me are you ok the first few times i said yeah im good but then she kept on asking an i was did'nt say anything so she was like was like veon aint right theres something wrong with her then the same trainer took me out of class and said whats wrong with you i was like im sick so then he was like yeah i can see that so call your mom or dad and tell them to come get you i called my dad first and could'nt get in touch with him then i called my mom and she was like ok i'll be there in an hour i told her that i could'nt wait an hour so she said have your job call 911 and i told the trainer what she said then i threw up on a manican then i went to the bathroom and just laid on the floor and the people i worked for was like you need to sit up then i tried to sit up and it made the pain that much worse so i laid back down on the floor then my brother came in the bathroom and he picked me and took me into the break room and just then the ambulance had arrived, yes my brother and i worked for the same place at the time about four months later i lost the job from being sick and new management.
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Permalink Reply by Ebony Ravenell on
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And again another topic I can relate too you see im an americorps member and I work with little pay but I need to have 1700 hours done of service to get money for school. I been doing horrible in the winter and in the summer when it rains I get sick let me say this and this is a true story. I was down for two days bed ridden cause my knees locked up and I couldn't walk my boss called me and is like "you need to be here we need you here for work" I told her "I can't move I can't walk" and shes like "you need to find some way to get here we need you today" so again I tell her "Unless you want me to drag my self there I CAN'T WALK!" and so shes like your making a big mistake I already told the person you were going to be here and yaddy yaddy ya...at that point I didn't care I already fell out crying at work once and it was not fun I was an hour and a half away from home.
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