A few years ago, I was fired from my job because I missed 1 – 4 days of work each month due to the pain of endometriosis. I had provided countless doctor notes, an explanation of my illness, and when the time came, a note from my surgeon giving me the official diagnosis of stage III endometriosis.
When hormonal suppression after surgery made me clinically suicidal and insane, I nearly lost my job due to my behaviour. I stopped the hormone treatment and the pain returned just as before – and I continued to be bedridden each month, missing work.
Hundreds, if not thousands of women with endometriosis have found themselves in a similar predicament – some go through it once, while others go through repeated firings from various jobs. This is discrimination, and it is illegal. I went to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and won my case.
If you feel you are a victim of job discrimination because of your illness, please check out the links below and educate yourself as much as you can. Stand tall and take on those mean companies, big and small, who would dare do this to you.
End job discrimination now!
- FindLaw’s Employee Rights Center
- Job Accomodation Network Q&A
- Filing a Charge of Employment Discrimination
- Department of Fair Employment (by state)
- Detailed Definition of the Term “Disability” (see also my notes for applying for Medicare and Social Security Disability Insurance)
- Guide for People with Disabilities Seeking Employment
- The Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990
- Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s Q&A regarding FMLA
- Ten Things to Think About: Wrongful Discharge
- What You Don’t Know Can Get You Sued (a warning to employers)
- Wrongful Termination Claims advice
- Discrimination: Strategies to Enforce Your Rights
- Dealing with Discrimination: Tips for Employees
- What you can expect to be awarded if you were denied Family & Medical Leave
