Support Anna's Journey to Healing and Recovery

Here is a story on my moms first chemo from today!

Update 2:

Last night I spoke out at the board meeting. I have sent many letters in email, made many phone calls, left voicemails, and hand delivered letters. It doesn’t matter what I do, Human Resources and upper Administration doesn’t care about me. My mom recently was rediagnosed with cancer, but this time it is NOT operable. Out of respect for my mom I have been quiet and kept her diagnosis to myself as she let those closest to her know. I have explained all the medical issues my family and myself have faced and no one wants to listen. I have always been open and honest about my condition and my requests. I HAVE NOTHING TO HIDE!!!

Feel free to share my link for go fund me or story because I WILL NOT STAY SILENT. I want as many people to know (PLEASE SHARE) so we can get this horrible policy changed for many caring educators who need help. As employees we have to apply before anyone can donate a day. I have applied 2 times and been denied without explanations. When I have asked for explanations I was told they do not do that. I have been given empty promises and failed replies.

Here is the letter I read:

Hello,

My name is Anna Kelly. I have worked in District 118 for the past 16 years, originally subbing then later being hired full time. I currently work as a Cross Categorical Science teacher at Danville High School. I have come before you to discuss the issues with the sick bank leave policy and how it affects employees here in this district.

I’ll start with the facts or numbers about me and my surgical journey. I originally received a diagnosis with BRCA I in January of 2022. BRCA I unfortunately runs in my family. My sister was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer at 27, my mother at 35, and my maternal grandmother was dead with cancer at 38. It was clear to the doctors that I needed medical intervention. I began my surgical journey in October of 2022, just over two years ago now. In those 25 months I have been to 103 doctor appointments. I have had 5 ER visits for extreme pain, and a total of 11 surgical procedures (one being an emergency surgery). In the 776 days since the first surgery, I have been recovering 85% of those days, and in pain nearly 100% of time, but it’s not a personal catastrophic medical condition according to this district. I have gained 80 pounds, given up all my hobbies due to my inability to do them, but one thing remained constant, that I showed up to work(even during the summer because I have medical bills to pay. I have taken as few days off sick under the supervision and approval of my doctor as I could to conserve as many days as possible for the entirety of my medical journey. I have two personal days left and am trying to support a mother who has non-operable cancer, she’s starting chemotherapy on 11/20/24, and I still have two more surgeries ahead of me.

In the spring of 2024, I approached the end of the sick days I had banked over my years. My co-workers encouraged me to apply for the sick bank. My colleagues wanted to support me in this medical journey. So, I gathered my evidence, a doctor’s note, and wrote a letter. I was denied because I did not have a “personal catastrophic medical condition and I still had sick bank time left (half a day).” I then researched the district’s policy on sick bank leave in our contract which was hard since the contract wasn’t posted online and no one had a copy (it took 11 months to see a copy). I reapplied a second time after I ran out of days (but before the 5-day cut off). Yet again I was denied because I was not sick enough. I was dumbfounded and astonished that I mattered so little in a district that I cared so much about. I felt I was being told you have to be dying to get help.

I need those in charge of the sick bank to understand the kind of impact that it can have on the employees. It has been financially and emotionally crippling. It can affect your occupational desire to continue to put your all into a district that doesn’t appear to help you or keep you in mind during your most stressful times in your life. I was metagrobolized, when in a job climate like today that teachers are being forgotten about when they have needs that arise in their lives. There are many staff members besides me who could benefit from a usable sick bank policy. How can someone’s needs be judged by some paperwork? Can the real devastation to their life, emotions, physical, and mental well-being be felt through a computer screen?

At the beginning of the year the entire district listened to Mr. Jimmy Casas tell us that we should work together to better the educational needs of the community while assisting each other to meet our goals. Yet, here I am trying to convince this district that I need help. Teachers may be someone’s superhero, but they need a hero too. A sick bank could be a pivotal decision in the life of a District 118 employee. We need a usable policy with a communication process that is understanding and human. Explaining the reason of denials over some copy and paste sentence is cold and callous. Teachers give so much of themselves, sometimes at the detriment of them and their families. After 16 years I have been left with a bitter taste in my mouth. The message I have received is that I do not matter. I do NOT feel seen and heard, and so I aim to change that too. I spoke with Dr. Geddis on the opening day after Mr. Casas spoke and she reassured me that she would help me to work and change this policy. I have emailed Dr. Geddis, called multiple times, left messages with her secretary, and left voicemails with zero response. I feel like I have been given what seems like empty promises of help. I have applied for Colleagues in Kindness through e-mail to Mr. Rice with no acknowledgement or response to my letter. I am drowning and no one wants to throw me a life raft and all my words have fallen on deaf ears. It seems no one cares. All I want is the opportunity for my co-workers to be able to donate days to me. I thought we were better than this at District 118.

Was I wrong?

I will e-mail the board a copy of this letter and all of my other letters, emails, and all my appointments, doctor’s letter, and rejections for help.

Thank you for your time and consideration,

Anna

Update 1:

I wanted to publicly post to thank everyone for their support. I know I have been relatively quiet about the last few years while going through the thick of it. I am to a point where I think it would be better for people to know and to accept support and welcome conversations (before I don’t think I was ready to even talk about anything because I didn’t want to cry around anyone). I have continued to work while recovering because of necessity to pay bills. I needed to work to have money as I have been refused sick bank relief (aka the ability for people to donate their days to you and many want to) from my work three times, because “ I wasn’t sick enough” or “my life was never truly in danger”. I will continue to work as much as possible, but will obviously need some more time away for each recovery. I will also continue to fight against a policy that seems to be unusable to people who need it. I guess it is time to raise awareness. ‍ Thank you for those who are supporting me in any way. With morale support, a donation, or just those checking on me and offering help or advise! I can’t tell you how warming it is to know I have a team who actually cares!

Hello! My name is Anna. I work as a Special Education Science teacher. In January of 2022 I was told I was BRCA I positive, which is a cancer gene that is highly aggressive in my family. My mother had a hysterectomy around 35 (with reoccurrences later on) and my sister fought breast cancer at 27 which brought with it chemo, radiation and a lot of surgeries itself. I was 36, and going through a divorce. I was told by my cancer doctor that I would need surgery. I had my first surgery in October of 2022, and the major double mastectomy, hysterectomy, reconstruction in November 2022. I was devastated afterwards. I had always dreamed of having children, and tried to heal physically and mentally. Working at a school and calling parents, something I now knew I would be, gutted me. Following the hysterectomy I struggled to convince a doctor to treat me with hormones (36 was far too early to go into menopause). After several patches that were ineffective, we finally found a pill and a dose to work.

After a few months, I seemed to be healing from surgery but then in January of 2023 my hysterectomy sutures failed at over 9 weeks post op. I was rushed to emergency surgery. The following day when meeting with my surgeon they noticed my breasts were not holding where they should either (later we would find out my body was rejecting the sutures and they had ripped out from the anchor points). I was scheduled for a surgery 8 weeks after the last and on March 13, 2023 I had my 4th surgery. Following this surgery I never seemed to recover where it wasn’t painful. I revisited the doctor and he had concerns again about the placement and pain I was having and again I was scheduled for surgery in July 2023 for my 5th surgery. I once again started to recover. Soon we would find out that I would have issues with pain and again return to the operating room in October of 2023. Recovery left me with more pain and more questions, with many er visits sprinkled in between. Again in January of 2024 returning to the operating room, and again in March of 2024. I was Still striving to get my body to heal and adjust. My doctors and I met and tried to come up with other options. Honestly at this point I felt like I had lost myself. I was unable to play softball, tennis, hiking, fishing or anything else I enjoyed. My life was simply surgeries and laying in bed. In July of 2024 I again was back in the operating room. Again I was still left in pain after 2 more months of recovery. My latest surgery was in October of 2024 of this year because my body scarred so heavily the implants became incapsulated causing me pain to do simple tasks like driving or writing. I gave up art and simple activities.

My concern is with two more surgeries scheduled for Dec. 2024 and March (or maybe push it to summer) of 2025. My October surgery has reduced my pain immensely, but now we need to repeat it for the left side. I also missed extra days in recovery, because as I readied myself for work when my right breast erupted with fluid from below. I then rushed to my doctor missing work for 3 more days (due to being on bedrest to heal), and again was on an antibiotic. My current total of surgeries to 12 and my procedures up to 14. Through all of this I tried to stretch my sick days at work (thankfully I had saved them over the years and scheduled most of my surgeries over breaks). However, in the spring of 2024 I ran out of days and was docked for 6 days. I was urged to apply for sick bank leave by my coworkers who wanted to support me. I applied 3 times for sick bank leave with my work HR and was denied being told I was “not sick enough” and “my life was never in danger”. I assure you I signed a resuscitation 12 times. I had struggled mentally and physically. Here I am again, running out of sick days from this year after my October surgery 2024, and knowing that ahead of me I’ll have multiple more days I will lose pay. I know I won’t be approved, yet will still apply again (if not just to prove what a lack of empathy they have for their employees). I am asking for any support my friends might be able to offer me. I am worried at being able to afford my bills, medicines, and general needs if losing pay. Since I know many want to support me and are unsure how, this could be helpful. It will allow me to take an extra day off if I need it to heal, or to be able to go to the doctor for my follow ups.

I don’t ask for help, and I was unsure on whether or not to do it. I decided I know I have great people who I have met who will likely help pick me up in a tough time.

Thank you for reading,

Anna