Pausing My Career to Heal: Medical Leave Stories

Inside this volume

Fifty first-person accounts describe taking medical leave from work. Reasons range from breast cancer, a stroke at thirty-nine and a heart bypass to long COVID, panic attacks, depression, exhaustion syndrome, bipolar disorder, TB, multiple sclerosis, severe pregnancy sickness, an ectopic pregnancy, sickle cell crises, leaving an unsafe relationship, a fall from a roof and hands burned by hot oil. Writers include a fifth-grade teacher given colleagues' sick days, a Leeds bus driver waiting to drive again, a hotel housekeeper whose union rep filled in the forms, an ICU nurse, a gig delivery driver with no leave to take, a seasonal wildland firefighter, a professor whose tenure clock was stopped, and an HR manager who finally needed a leave form herself. They write from Ohio to Oslo, Lagos to Kuala Lumpur. They describe twelve weeks running out, sixty percent of pay, workers' compensation, light duty that was not light, attendance points, a visa tied to a job, part-time sick leave in Norway, slow returns to the desk, and a benefits booklet never opened. Many found kindness in unexpected places, and some went back to the same job. Others did not: a casual cafe worker hid an illness for weeks, a civil engineer's leave became retirement, a corporate lawyer moved to teaching for less pay, and some employers were cold.

Who it's for

For anyone who has just been told to take time off, or is afraid to ask, and for the managers, HR staff and families trying to understand what medical leave involves.

Format · Instant download · PDF & EPUB · Fifty first-person accounts · PDF: 280 pages

A collection of personal testimony, offered as companion reading — not medical advice.

• 50 single-author testimonies from real people
• A short, plain-language introduction to the topic
• Editor's note, contents page, and curated resource list
• Professional interior typesetting and an original cover

Every purchase includes a print-quality PDF (best for desktop, tablet, and printing) and a reflowable EPUB (best for Kindle, Apple Books, Kobo, and phones). Files are DRM-free. You can download both instantly from the order-confirmation screen, and we email them to your inbox as well, so your books are always within reach.