05 Jul Mom Informs Manager That Her Son Is On Life Support, But The Response Is Beyond Heartless

With the exception of taxes, new-shoe blisters, and our eventual death, it’s fair to say that there are very few things that are guaranteed in life. But while our years on Earth may have plenty of surprises in store, the one constant trait that every individual shares is that – at one point or another – we will find ourselves worried about another person. After all, as much as it may not always seem like it, it’s human nature to care and have empathy for others.

But as much as we might agonize over a parent or sibling or even complete strangers who find themselves in a troubling situation, there is a special kind of fear reserved for a child finding themselves in danger. As most parents will tell you, no matter how old their child is, they will always worry about them.

So when one Michigan mother found herself in the horrific situation of sitting next to her son’s hospital bed while he lay there hooked up to a life support machine and battling to stay in the world, the one thing that she expected was a little understanding from her employers.

Like, in the grand scheme of things, his life was probably more important than a couple of days attendance at work, right?

Well, apparently not.

It all started when Crystal Reynolds Fisher’s 18-year-old son fell ill with a suspected case of sepsis and was placed on life support. As you would probably expect, she immediately rushed to be by his side.

Conscious she wouldn’t be able to make it in to work, she texted her boss at PS Food Mart – who are owned by Folk Oil – to let her know what the situation was. Obviously, we don’t know what kind of relationship Crystal had with her employer anyway, but this all seems pretty reasonable, right?

Unfortunately, her boss didn’t seem to think so and replied: “That isn’t how we do things, so I’ll accept that you’re quitting”. Errrr what, no one even mentioned quitting?

Confused, Crystal quite fairly questioned the comment, writing: “Okay so how do we do things when my child is on life support? ”

I mean, I get that there’s probably not a handbook designed exactly for this specific situation, but this is the exact sort of thing compassionate leave was introduced for. Crystal also reaffirmed that she had no intention of leaving: “I never said I was quitting so I take it that ur firing me? (sic)”

The manager didn’t agree, simply stating: “If you can’t come to work that’s you quitting”. Next question, what had happened if her if she’d just needed a sick day?

When challenged once more, the manager flew into a bit of a rant, sending a string of messages, one of which included those fatal words only ever uttered by managers who favor a vain power and control kind of leadership: “I’ve been more than accommodating”. (You’re thinking of a particular ex-boss right now, aren’t you?)

After a quick message from the mom reconfirming – just in case the manager wasn’t clear – that this was a little more important than an eye appointment or something, the manager moved from power-and-control mode and straight into sulky teenager talking to her boyfriend, throwing out the line: “To much drama (sic)”.

You can almost feel the sassy eye roll.

As all good negotiators would, the mom was smart enough to turn the situation around, asking the manager would she still be able to go to work in this situation.

As you’ve probably guessed by now, the reply wasn’t exactly in line with what any of us would really find reasonable – or believable: “Yes I would, I still have bills to pay and something to keep me busy and occupied”. Y’know, in case your son being on life support wasn’t quite a busy enough time.

Like some kind of omnipotent Folk Oil God, she also told the mom that: “We don’t just come and go as we please at Folk Oil”.

Unfortunately for the manager though, those words came back to haunt her.

As soon as the employee shared her story and screenshots of the messages on Facebook, the company were flooded with complaints about the conduct of the woman in question, and an investigation was launched. “We will move quickly to get all the facts and take action on what we find,” they promised.

Well, the investigation moved pretty rapidly, because just 13 hours later the company followed up on their statement with a firm message: “We investigated and have found that the situation was handled improperly and without the compassion that we value as a company.”

They went on to confirm that the manager was no longer employed by Folk Oil – ergo, had been fired – and that the mom was to be allowed all the time she needed to look after her son.

Crystal explained the situation further to a local news channel, focusing particularly on the enormously emotional reactions that she has received from all over the world.

Mom speaks about the amazing reaction she received to her terrible treatment:

[[jwplayerwidget||http://content.jwplatform.com/videos/iEDijEOo-Q0L14jDU.mp4||iEDijEOo]]

Hurrah for good people. Kindness 1 – 0 Heartlessness.

(Folk Oil’s PR Department, also 1)

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