WTF?! Single Mother Loses Job Because She Got A Mammogram

Breast cancer is one of the biggest fears any woman faces. So when she feels what she thinks may be a lump, she naturally wants to get a mammogram as soon as possible. But in Ohio, getting a mammogram cost Jamie Crytzer her job.

Back in May, Crytzer discovered a lump in one of her breasts, noticed it was growing, and immediately called her doctor. The doctor scheduled Crytzer for a mammogram on June 15.

Ms. Crytzer told her supervisor at the Hickory Grille in Hermitage, and was granted June 15 off from work. And then just this Monday Crytzer received a call telling her that due to a cancellation she could get a mammogram later that same day.

But when this single mother told her employer, who just happens to be a woman, she was informed that if she left work to get a needed medical test, she would be abandoning her job. As Crytzer recalls:

“She just said, you know, you’re gonna do whatever you want, and this is job abandonment. She kept telling me that.”

Despite the warnings, Crytzer left and had the mammogram. The mammogram showed she did not have cancer, which was welcome news to her. But when she showed up at the Hickory Grille the next day, she learned she no longer had a job. Crytzer was devastated:

“They felt that I left them with a skeleton shift during lunch, that since they already knew that I had an appointment the following week, they felt I could have waited. It’s unfortunate. I’m sorry that I lost my job over being proactive for my health.”

Is it just me, or does it seem incredibly unfair for an employer to force an employee to choose between her job and her health? Now Ms. Crytzer is unemployed and trying to provide for herself and her young son. She posted the following on her Facebook page:

“I feel completely wronged, hurt and upset that my company had zero regard for my circumstances or my health. I am embarrassed that they downplayed the severity and brushed it off as an inconvenience. I am ashamed that I am the one who was reprimanded.”

For their part, Hickory Grille released the following statement:

“We are unable to comment on this particular occurrence, but we can say that all personnel actions taken were in complete accordance with proper personnel management. We want our community to know that we have helped many, many employees through difficult times throughout the years, and will continue to do so. We care deeply for our employees and their families. The Springfield Restaurant Group’s primary goal has always been to take care of people, both employees and guests.”

Really? Well, you sure as hell could have fooled me.

This article was originally published by the same author at LiberalAmerica.org.

2 thoughts on “WTF?! Single Mother Loses Job Because She Got A Mammogram

  1. You cannot fire someone for job abandonment after missing ONE DAY. It’s not legal. She should sue and she would win.

  2. There may well have been more to this story thanmeets the eye. There was not a single medical easin for her to leave work when she did for a nonemergency procedure. There are a lot of tests and procedures and all of them sem important. If this hsd been deemed an emergency by her md, it would have been scheduled as such. She sounds likeva drama queen.

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