Months after her cancer diagnosis, Sasha Ramcharan’s employer opted to cut ties despite her ability and commitment to deliver to the job.
Having experienced this heartbreak, the breast cancer patient, who has since created an online support group, says many times patients are left beaten and broke.
Speaking to Guardian Media yesterday, the 34-year-old paralegal said since her diagnosis a year ago and what she has since encountered, she has launched an advocacy campaign to encourage employers to show compassion.
“Cancer robbed me of my independence. I faced the condition head-on but when I was fired from my job, I think I’m still pretty pissed about that. I know what I’m capable of and I just wanted a chance to at least try because when I was fired, I told my boss let us at least wait until the first cycle of chemo and how I react to it, because everyone is different and I met patients who said they worked throughout their treatment,” Ramcharan recalled.
Ramcharan, who was working for an attorney on a probationary period, is now challenging her dismissal, having encountered too many instances of cancer patients being forced out their jobs due to their conditions.
She said while she prefers to work and earn, unemployment has rattled her journey with cancer.
“Just the fact that I wasn’t able to be given that chance, times now are so hard. I have four small children and we are not a rich family, I had no choice but to come forward to the public and ask for help for certain medications and tests, but ever since I’ve always been one to get up, work for what I want.”
According to employment and industrial relations attorney Akiri-Heath Adams, being diagnosed with a serious illness is not a trigger for automatic dismissal and does not reduce or remove an employee’s rights. He said among the five steps an employer should take before firing an employee with ill-health were collecting medical records, giving employees reasonable time to prove their fitness to work and exercising care and compassion.
Last December, Ramcharan made the discovery that changed the trajectory of her life.
According to her, “I would have randomly brushed some crumbs off my clothes and I felt a marble-sized lump.”
Weeks later, a biopsy uncovered the paralegal’s worst nightmare.
“I went in and saw the doctor and the way he was acting, I looked at him and said it’s cancer and he was taken aback.”
It was in that moment, Ramcharan said she realised the power of positive thinking.
“I had already made up my mind that whatever it was, I was going to deal with it head-on. I have four small kids, at this time they are 7-, 5- and 2-year-old twins so giving up or just feeling sorry for myself is not an option,” she said.
The stage three cancer patient, who has now undergone extensive treatment, is advocating for employers to exercise compassion before dropping the axe.