Health and Job change

After working at the Federal Reserve Bank in Chicago for about 6 weeks, I noticed that my right hip was beginning to ache enough to wake me up at night. Also my supervisor at the bank notices that I was favoring it. So she sent me to the Banks doctor. He examined me and asked a lot of questions about my earlier hip operation when I was 12. He also asked what my job responsibilities were at the bank. When he found out that I delivered the mail to half the bank on an hourly basis, he contacted the HR department and told them to fire me. What a black day that was for me. In his opinion, I should be confined to a wheelchair. I remember thinking that he must be a quack. Remember I was all of 19 and knew that I was invincible.

So back I went to tell my supervisor the bad news. She was furious. She contacted the HR department and asked if she could keep me if she placed me in a position where I would sit and sort the incoming mail. She also contacted her manager and told him about what had happened. All the while this was going on I was sitting on the sidelines doing my homework.

Just before I had to leave for school, my supervisor received her answer. Yes I could continue to work there as long as I had a job where I could sit and sort the mail. Also I had to go to an orthopedic doctor and have him examine me and send a letter to the Federal Reserve Bank with his findings. Boy was I relieved. I still had a job with much less walking.

So that weekend when I got to Uncle H. and Aunt D. I told them about what happened. They contacted their family doctor who gave them the name of an orthopedic doctor to go to. A couple weeks later, Uncle H. and I went to this doctor. I don't remember much about the appointment except that I thought the doctor ancient. He did tell me that yes they used to confine people with my condition to a wheelchair. However, they no longer did that and as long as I sat at my job it should be OK. And yes he would write a letter stating that for the Federal Reserve Bank.

Wow what great news and it got even better. When I received my first pay after starting as a mail sorter, my pay was increased. It turned out that a mail sorter was considered a higher pay grade.

Isn't God great? He not only was looking out for my health he gave me a better job with a pay increase allowing me to continue at school without dropping out in order to save enough for the next quarters tuition.