Remember at the beginning of this month when I told you the amazing story of Amy Donohue and how she decided to donate one of her kidneys to the mother of a Twitter acquaintance? As you’ll recall, Kirti Dwivedi put out a desperate call for kidney donors via Twitter and Facebook after her mother’s kidneys started functioning at less 20%. Amy, who Kirti had only met once at a function, stepped up to offer one of her kidneys in February 2011 and Project #TinyFabKidney was born. Since then, the two have met each other’s families and planned various fund-raising activities together as Amy has undergone testing to determine if she’s a match. A few weeks ago, Kirti emailed me with the good news that Amy was indeed a match and that surgery was scheduled for April 19th! This past Tuesday, however, Amy recieved some devastating news. Her company told her they were letting her go because she hadn’t met her sales goals. Today CBS 5 in Phoenix put up this story:
Kirti said she was shocked when she learned Donohue lost her job.
“Amy is donating a kidney to my mom and she lost her job because of spending time testing for it. It’s really hard to understand how that could happen, and it’s hard not to feel guilty or upset,” said Kirti Dwivedi.
Amy estimated she used about seven sick and personal days in the past couple of months to go through testing. She had held her job for approximately seven months.
“I take full responsibility. How can I not say I’ve been distracted? I’ve got a big thing going on in my life,” said Donohue.
She said while she does not want her job back, she wishes her company had handled her situation differently, considering the circumstances.
“Sometimes, accommodations need to be made for people when something huge is going on,” said Donohue
Amy has written up her own version of her firing over on her personal blog. Personally, I would have thought an employer would appreciate the value of a person with Amy’s courage and empathy and try to accommodate such heroics. But for some people, it’s all about the bottom line.
If you’re interested in learning more about Project #TinyFabKidney and sending your support to Amy, Kirti and Tiny Mom, you can find them on Facebook. And you can donate here.
Personally I feel there should be a boycott @GannettLocal and maybe their customers. Yes, Amy Donohue did not make her sales quota and she did use her sick leave and or vacation time to cover her absences, however, the lack of any compassion on the part of her employer for what she is doing is insensitive and crude. We I living in the Phoenix area I would ensure that I did not do any business with @GannettLocal or their customers, and I would inform their customers why I am no longer a customer.
Everyone must remember there are always 2 side to every coin and that you may not have ALL the information you really need to make an educated decision or judgment about anyone in general.
Okay, Ferrina. Then why don’t YOU tell us the other side of the story, just so we’re fully informed?
We’ll wait…