When Jamie Crytzer found a lump in her breast, she immediately scheduled an appointment for a mammogram, and discussed the issue with her employers, to let them know what was going on.
However, when an earlier appointment opened up and she asked her managers if she could leave work for an hour to attend it, they were not happy.
She told KDKA-TV: “She just said, you know, you’re gonna do whatever you want, and this is job abandonment. She kept telling me that.”
Jamie left work to have the breast cancer tests done and went home.
When she turned up to work at the Hickory Grille in Pennsylvania the next day, she was told that she no longer had a job there.
“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,” she said.
“It’s unfortunate. I’m sorry that I lost my job over being proactive for my health.”
The Hickory Grille did release a statement saying they couldn’t comment on the matter, but 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.”
Jamie posted about her ordeal on Facebook, where it was quickly shared over 2,000 times.
She said simply: “One week. Short in relative terms.
“One week while waiting to see if you have breast cancer is an eternity.”