How can someone like myself have the opportunity to get employment? The fact is that they’re many employers that discriminate against sick employees. They’re many companies that frown on sick employees, because they are expensive, in healthcare premium. The fact is that chronic illness, such as cancer, HIV, heart diseases etc..., are very costly.  How can a cancer patient like me be able to get good treatment without medical coverage from an employer? I worked for a medical practice that didn’t like treating patients with HMO, Medicaid or Medicare. In fact, they encouraged to pursue only out of network and well insured patients.

I am the divorced mom of two children, was diagnosed with cancer. I went thru a year of total torture physically, emotionally, financially, and professionally. I worked for doctors, of course after the first couple of months of the usual; how are you? And I hope you are feeling better. The concern is now followed with, are you taking generic chemo? Are you getting outpatient care instead of inpatient care? I feel scrutinized as the main partner is discussing healthcare reforms, and the employees’ medical benefits are too costly, for the company.  The bulling and harassment, at this point is unbearable. A letter is drawn up that was disseminated to all the employees complaining about the cost of healthcare insurance and premium.  I sent an email to my employer, the main doctor who leads the company and these meetings. He pretty much shrugs it off; as a big corporate expense and blamed the rest on Obamacare, during a phone conversation. Soon after that conversation there were direct job threats made on my department as a whole.  I then found out that a fellow employee that was known to have several heart stents was laid off. The irony of this particular employee being laid off, was confirming my realization that the expense was the issue of this termination. While simultaneously there was an employment ad seeking to hire for his position. I then realized that they were doing away with the employee not his job function. I then decided to pursue my complaint legally. I just wanted to have them stop the harassment and bullying. It was very tough going into work with cancer, but it was draining to walk in and be harassed day in and day out. A month to the date from the legal complaint, I was fired. I was told that the whole department was being laid off.  It turns out that they kept three employees and they changed their titled. It was totally retaliatory, towards me.  However they were very clever and included three other women to camouflage the retaliation towards my complaint. The three employees that remained were not as proficient, including an older gentle that has no computer skills or social media experience and a younger woman that didn’t have a car. In a position that clearly required a car, also great proficiency in computers and social media.

I am now unemployed for ten months, I am paying my own medical health insurance, wish is very expensive. I can barely feed my children. The funny thing is that after I pay the monthly insurance of $588, I can’t afford the follow up care visits. So how can a cancer patient like me get good treatment and hope to be cured?