On June 2nd, 2013 I went to work with my right eye shut and face swollen. I had a painful tooth ache that led me to the emergency room. Eventually, I found out I had an abscess tooth with severe pain, fever and inflammation.
I took only that one day off of work because I could not afford to miss days and still be able to feed my family. As a single mother and sole provider in my house, getting sick was not an option for me. My job would not accept a doctor’s note even though they could see the swelling in my face and pain in my eyes. It was very embarrassing when customers would see my physical pain and suffering. I know I deserve paid sick days and the time off to take care of myself when something like this happens.
I had been at the job for over two years and never had an option to earn sick days. I had to push through this pain so that I wouldn’t get fired or seen as abandoning my job.
