My father battled congestive heart failure and kidney failure and required surgery. I requested time from work to go to Texas to take care of him, but I was only allowed four unpaid days. On top of the anguish of not being there when he needed me most, those four days of unpaid time meant I fell behind on my car payment and couldn’t pay my light bill.
I was at my job when I got the call from his doctor telling me he wasn’t going to make it. The doctor had to ask me over the phone if I wanted to take my father off life support. All I could think about was my father being alone as he took his final breath. That day was the turning point for me.