How someone used my diabetes to excite petty revenge on me, breaking ADA law.

This is a throw away account, I’m documenting this story so others who may be diabetic and get a minimum wage job can know that this can happen, and not to stand for it.

Before i explain this story, when i state the place I worked please have no issues with this business. I have worked at two locations, the second one is who conducted this behavior. Their team and management is a disgrace and pathetic. This is not the company. The is JT, the owner to my best way without saying his name, fault.

Some background: I was hired at a new chick fil a at the end of 2018. I explained to them the complications of my diabetes and what would be needed. It’s a fast paced job, and for me and my body fast movement makes me drop a lot. I have cokes and snacks in my locker always and have always had at my last location the ability to let management know, run back for 5 minutes, then come back up. No issues. Ever.

I was a TL at my other location. It’s like higher than basic member, but not full blown manager.

When starting at the new CFA i mentioned i wanted to work my way to this spot. I’m not trying to brag when i say this: i was damn good at the job. ————————-

When starting i had a TL show interest in me. I was not in any way interested in him, and when i expressed that he got upset.

Because of this, he was most nights the shift lead. When i went low from fast pace work, and asked if i could go back to correct, he would deny me that. One time my blood sugar was 52, and i was starting to go blurry vision and stumble. I walked to the back on my own because he had already denied me that right.

I got written up.

I knew this was against ADA law, and tried to express that to the higher management that i needed to be able to do this or i would need to find another job. They expressed that since i was running to get a TL position, i shouldn’t leave.

I stayed. And this happened for months. Later, when promotions were handed out....i was denied. When i walked into the office to ask our GM what i was lacking on, his exact words were “we will wait until you stable out your bg levels! Then we will reevaluate.”

After this, the boy, we will call him “N” because i don’t want to say his real name, started during meeting to convince all of management i was “using my diabetes to my advantage.”

That’s the exact wording he said. Exactly.

It got to a point where no one in management would allow me to even check my blood sugar, and my CGM was not allowed because it made my pump beep too much. (It beeped because i wasn’t allowed to correct.)

To make up for this, even turning my insulin completely off i still went low because i was given more cleaning tasks than what a single team member should ever do.

This went on for months. To the point i would keep going home and throwing up. I tried to speak to all of management and no one would listen to me because N had convinced them i was lying and trying to just do no work at all.

The final straw was this: I was on cash cart, if you go through a drive thru and the red umbrella they direct you too, i was stationed there. That is a no leaving spot under any circumstances. I called on my headset about 10 times that my blood sugar was dropping, because before going out there i had to scrub and clean the entire fridge on my own. I took a coke outside with me, but that was not enough to bring it up.

After calling and calling i asked a guest to tell them i needed to come inside, NOW. finally i had N relieve me, and he rolled his eyes while doing this. Because my shift was over. Not because they got annoyed.

I stayed outside with no sugar (i had drank the coke hours before) for 4 hours.

I walked inside, drank two cokes and ate two cookies, then checked my blood sugar.

My blood sugar was 28.

I had someone pick me up and had my first ever seizure in their car.

——————-

This all happened because i wouldn’t sleep with someone. I would not sleep with him, so he used my diabetes against me. I quit and got another job, and still suffer to this day.

I did not sue him or anyone. Because i didn’t want too. I wanted it to be over. And i still do.

But i need my story out there so if this happens to anyone else, ever, you don’t stand for it like i did. I allowed it to happen, because i am in college and I’m desperate for a paycheck. I allowed it because my previous experience working for a CFA allowed me to think a company wouldn’t stand for this. But each business is different. Run by different people.

If someone does not allow you to treat your disease, do not stand for it like i did. Please. I’m begging you. Let me be the hard lesson. Leave. Contact someone. Sue. Do something. Don’t wait till it’s too late.