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You know what sucks? Being kicked off your insurance (employer: @texashealth ) illegally while being terminally ill and not being able to get your treatment so you’re sleeping on the bathroom floor because you’ve spent the entire evening hugging a toilet. It’s 418 AM. yeah. 
Actually, since it’s almost 5 am now and it’s obvious I’m not going to get any sleep, let’s see if we can get a response from @texashealth since I can’t get a call or email back... let me tell you this crazy story-
I had my tailbone removed in late February. I was supposed to be on leave for 4 weeks. I came back 10 days early in an effort to do my part to help fight a global pandemic. You will see evidence of this in the next tweet.
This is the same 24 hour time frame. I was back at work for 3 shifts. I was clocked in when I almost collapsed from pain. I was admitted for septic shock immediately. Little did I know, that would be the last shift I worked for @texashealth
I spent 45+ days inpatient. 85% of them in ICU. They failed me out of nursing school for this and I couldn’t restart for almost another full year. So during my last icu stay I began to look at 2nd jobs I could take on to supplement my income and pay off my massive medical debt
It was always my intention to stay with @texashealth, as I had for the past 5 years. So when something looked promising, before ever taking the offer, or even considering it, I emailed my manager explaining the updated situation and asking if I could still remain part time..
She agreed as long as I could be flexible with the needs of the ER in regards to hours/staffing. I agreed and felt that to be fair. I signed a conditional job offer that i would start this second offer once I was released my surgeon.
My surgeon released me with a start date of 6/15. Except, I had fallen that weekend and literally busted another hole in my surgical site. Again, I updated my @texashealth manager with this information. She sent her love and condolences and asked to keep her posted.
The next week, when my surgeon still hadn’t released me to go back to the ER, given the new traumatic injury from the fall, I didn’t hear from @texashealth, until the following Friday afternoon.
The HR specialist from my hospital called my cell to let me know that my job had been terminated and that I would lose my benefits because I looked for other employment while on leave. I sobbed. I said I could forward all documentation and emails that I had.
As I basically begged and pleaded with her and explained that i had spent the last 3 months alone in a hospital and lost everything, that this ER was the last thing I had left, she very coldly said that i was welcome to apply at another @texashealth entity in the future.
She hung up on me after I had gotten upset. I heard nothing from anyone at @texashealth for 10 more days when I got an email letting me know that my benefits were terminated 6/16. Mind you, I’m still receiving home health and wound care at this time.
I had only THOUGHT I lost everything before. I truly lost everything then. I can’t afford COBRA. And even if I could and they backdate, my treatment (that keeps me alive) is too expensive to pay upfront and get reimbursed ($30k/month)
So after weeks of trying to reach the @texashealth HR department above the one I spoke with to no avail, I’m now 3 weeks overdue for getting my treatment and it’s 5 am and I’m on the bathroom floor tweeting, crying, and barfing.
Here’s the thing: I loved my time at @texashealth. That’s actually the worst part of all of this. I love that ER. My coworkers are incredible humans who are doing thankless work to save countless lives. It’s the difference between those hero’s and the upper level that gets me...
Their business office has now actively contributed to the degradation of what little health was left of a dedicated 5 year employee (who also spent over 20 days inpatient in one of their own hospitals this year).
It is ESSENTIAL to note here that this is in stark contrast to the care I received from their nurses, medics, techs, and docs that took care of me in the ED (my coworkers) who carefully cleaned me up and assisted me to the restroom and treated me with kindness and compassion.
Honestly-I’d love to have my job back. But I don’t know that I can work in the ER in the middle of a pandemic for management that allowed this unethical mistreatment take place to one of their own. At the very least, @texashealth should cover my benefits for the remainder of 2020
I didn’t think I’d publicly discuss this topic. But here I am: desperate, alone, on the floor of my bathroom, crying, sick, and missing working the night shift. I would give the world to be back with my team right now- even during a pandemic. Thanks, @texashealth.
