'Won't let me go home sick? I'll see you in 30 days when I pick up my cancer meds.' AITA?
"Won't let me go home sick? I'll see you in 30 days when I pick up my cancer meds."
Although I didn't have control over how this revenge played out, I still smile when I recount this story and thought it would fit here. In 2010 I worked at a corner drugstore as a department lead (back when those were relevant).
I was 21, I did the bare minimum, and I hated working Sundays, which were my Fridays. I will be the first to admit that I could have been a better employee but I knew this wouldn't be my career and I was just coasting until I graduated.
Sunday, May 2 rolls around and I felt awful. I had already not been feeling great. That Friday I was a bit under the weather. When Saturday came around I felt pretty ok but then Sunday hit like a sack of bricks.
About 2 hours into my shift I asked my manager, Ryan, if I could go home. The guys in management despised me so I was not surprised when this particular manager snarkily responded with, "You need to get someone to come in and finish your shift." [EDIT TO ADD: This wasn't policy. He was just being an ass about it because he didn't like me]
Fine, no problem. I called one of my coworkers and she came in for me. My boyfriend at the time was working at a hotel down the street. We shared a car so I went to his hotel to sleep until he got off work.
I slept in the lobby for 9 hours straight. We made it home and I started coughing up blood. My boyfriend forced me to the ER that night. I was diagnosed with strep and admitted to the hospital.
That Monday, the 3rd, one of the nurses informed me that I'd be in the hospital for at least a week so I called my store to let them know. The manager I spoke with, Brad, hated me more than anyone else at that store. I told him the news.
Brad: "You'll be out for a week for strep?"
Me: "Yeah, do you wanna talk to the nurse? She's right here."
Brad: "No, we'll see you when you get back."
He was CLEARLY irritated by the news but there was nothing I could do. What I hadn't told him, as I didn't know at that time, is I was admitted because the hospital suspected I had something much worse.
I was visited by a doctor on Monday who explained he'd like to perform a bone marrow biopsy. I had no idea what that was or why he'd want to do one except that my blood counts looked weird. I had the procedure done and continued recovering from strep. Tuesday, May 4 comes and the doctor from the day before pays me another visit.
"Twinkies, we got the results of your BMB back. You have an aggressive form of leukemia that requires immediate treatment. We'll be sending you to a hospital in big-city to start chemo tonight."
My world was turned upside down. I called my best friends, all of whom I worked with, and invited them to the hospital to share the news. One of my friends had a shift that afternoon and broke the news to the store: Twinkies has cancer.
I spent 28 arduous days in the hospital fighting for my life. My mom had visited my store a few times during my hospital stay and talked with my store manager, letting her know what was going on. My SM was very understanding and supportive. The other managers never said a word to me, my mom, or my friends about the situation.
When I finally got out of the hospital I went to my old store to pick up my maintenance cancer meds. As I made my way back towards pharmacy, bruised, bald, and with a bright purple PICC line sticking out of my arm, I turned down aisle 10 and who do I see? Ryan, stocking vitamins.
"Hi Ryan!" I gleefully shouted. The look on his face was priceless.
"Oh my god, Twinkies, are you ok? How are you feeling?"
"I'm great now, thank you. It's a good thing I left early that Sunday and ended up in the hospital so they found the cancer!"
The whole situation was absolutely delicious. Despite everything I went through, the feeling of complete vindication when they had to face my cancer-ridden self was incredible. I never ended up going back to work there.
I had to file disability because the next 5 months of my life were week-long hospital stays followed by constant transfusions, check-ups, and even a case of sepsis that almost killed me. But I still remember Ryan's face and it brings a smile to mine.
Here were the top rated comments from readers in response to the OP’s post:
Delicious revenge. Glad to hear you are doing ok now <3
Great story and I sincerely hope you are in fine health now!
twinkies_and_wine (OP)
Thank you! May 4 will be 15 years since my dx and there's no sign of it coming back.
I really hope that cancer is a distant memory for you. I hate that. A family member in my household has cancer, and another has another year left to live thanks to leukemia. I hope you are doing awesome now!
Terrific story, and I'm glad you got your revenge. I had AML myself a number of years ago, and I know what a struggle it can be. That Revenge sure was a bright spot for you. Hope you stay healthy!
twinkies_and_wine (OP)
Likewise! Sounds weird, but I always like meeting other AML survivors. It's a silly thing to get excited about but few know what AML is so I get kinda stoked. Congrats on your survival and many long, happy years ahead!
My dx of AML was from a severe case of strep throat too! My tonsils had swollen so bad they cracked and I was in terrible shape for days. I visited my doc for the first time in my adult life and two days later I had my first BMB. That first moment when they broke through the bone is a sensation I'll never forget. One Bone Marrow Transplant and 13yrs later I'm still doing great!
You're a freaking gem, OP. I teared up, and at first wasn't sure why, but you finding such glee in a very dark time says so much for your character. I hope that Ryan decided to be a bit more understanding to the world after the lesson he (hopefully) learned from you. I hope you get what you want in this life. Leukemia at 21!? Talk about being dealt a terrible hand.