Calling for prayer warriors....update in op

[bettyandbob]

My boss' wife is in surgery now. Surgery is likely to go until after midnight. She has two large masses in her abdominal. They will remove the masses and biopsy tonight. Recovery is expected to include a six day hospital stay because it looks like one mass is wrapped around her colon.

Sheryl is in her early 40s and has two teenagers. She is an ICU nurse and pastor's wife. She is kindest person you could meet.

Thanks.

 

Surgery went late into the night. Removal of ovaries, uterus, appendix, part of the colon and a couple other things. Abdominal incision was 12 inches. She's expected to be in the hospital for another 6 days. Cancer was determined to be stage 3. 

 

Her surgeon says she will likely need to be off work more than six weeks. Her employer has been known to not budge on going over the required FMLA 6 weeks. Essentially, if she needs longer she will be fired. She will loose her health insurance and whatever else 25 years of employment acquired. She is the policy holder of the family's ins plan. My boss doesn't have an ins plan on his very small business (2 employees who do not work full time).  

 

I suggested they talk to HR at her employer. My boss was very certain the employer would not budge to help a long time employee--he proceeded to cite multiple examples of people he knew who had been employees burned by them. 

 

If you are able to say some more prayers for her recovery and the possible financial devastation they are worried about on top the serious illness.

 

(makes me so mad that people who are doing the responsible things, working, paying for ins have to focus on finances when sickness itself is devastating)

[unsinkable]

I'm praying for Sheryl! She sounds like a wonderful woman.

[ktgrok]

praying

[freeindeed]

Praying.

[BlessedMom]

Praying for Sheryl and her family.

[FriedClams]

Prayed for her and her family. (Hugs)

[Vida Winter]

Praying. :grouphug:

[PrincessMommy]

just seeing this and praying.

[school17777]

Praying

[bettyandbob]

update in OP

[Jean in Newcastle]

:grouphug:

[plansrme]

FMLA provides twelve weeks, not six.  Assuming that her employer is a hospital and has enough employees to be subject to COBRA (I've never seen a hospital that doesn't), she also can elect COBRA if she is terminated at the end of twelve weeks.  It is expensive and hardly ideal, but it is worth it in her situation.  The treating hospital may even be persuaded to pay all or a portion of her premium if she is still in treatment at that point.  She also probably has or at least had the opportunity to elect short- or long-term disability insurance; I hope she took it.  Many employers provide short-term disability at no cost to the employee; he or she should check ASAP.  If she can work part-time after six weeks, she can take her FMLA in partial-day increments to stretch it further, e.g., take the second six weeks as twelve half-weeks.

 

I realize her husband is all doom-and-gloom right now, and understandably so, but he can not rely on hearsay worst-case scenarios when assessing his family's situation.  Only the people who feel jilted complain, and many of them can not be trusted to spin the story accurately.  There are protections in place for your friend's situation.

 

I am not scolding and don't mean to come across that way; I just want to provide some reassurances that they're not quite out of options this early in the game.

 

 

 

 

[MomtoCandJ]

I thought FMLA was 12 weeks??? Well at least it was when I had dd1

[TravelingChris]

Praying for Sheryl and her family.

[SageRebel]

prayers  :grouphug:

[Cindy in FL.]

Praying for Sheryl's recovery and treatment.

[Spryte]

I hope that she has all the resources she needs for a healthy recovery, and that she gets positive news about all of it soon. Recovering is difficult enough without the financial worry. Goodness.

 

Sending her best wishes!

[trulycrabby]

Sending heartfelt prayers to your bosses wife and her family. :grouphug: