The Doctors: Colleagues Donate Sicks Days
The Doctors explained that the one virus they want to spread is #SMOCK, simple moments of contagious kindness. The Doctors shared the story of a 6th grade teacher who was celebrating her 56th birthday, which was a day she didn’t think she would live to see while fighting breast cancer last year. The woman, named Carol, returned to teaching after undergoing a mastectomy, but then had a severe reaction to chemotherapy and was hospitalized for weeks. Carol and her husband decided to turn to the LAUSD Catastrophic Illness Donation Program and asked fellow district employees to donate their sick leave to Carol. Carol soon had 154 donated sick days.
The Doctors took a closer look at the story of a teacher who beat breast cancer after her colleagues donated their sick days. (RoJo Images / Shutterstock.com)
One of the teachers who signed over her sick days knew that she wanted to do whatever she could for Carol. Carol said she’s still shocked by her colleague’s generosity. She said it’s the heart and the love, as well as the generosity that her colleagues showed her. Carol and her husband Dave joined the show over the phone and Carol shared that her cancer is in remission.
The Drs TV: Teacher Beat Breast Cancer Thanks To Donated Sick Days
Carol said that the donated sick days absolutely helped her beat the cancer, because she had gotten to a point where she had used all her sick days and wasn’t getting paid at all. Because she wasn’t getting paid, she lost her medical benefits. Dr. Rachael Ross pointed out that the other teachers were giving away their own revenue because they’re giving up days where they would’ve been paid to stay home.
Dr. Jennifer Berman said that when we give to another person without expecting to receive something in return, it benefits us. She said there are physiological changes that occur in our body that make us feel good when we help other people, and Dr. Jim Sears said he calls it “the helper’s high.”
Dr. Travis Stork said he hoped Carol’s story would inspire schools and municipalities to stand by their teachers during cancer treatments. Dr. Stork said Carol’s story was just another example of people helping people. Carol then shared that because of the press she’s received, people are contacting her wanting to donate, but since she’s already been #SMOCKed, she wanted to pass it on to the kids at her school who don’t have the money to go on field trips.
Carol also set up a page on GoFundMe to raise money for the school and for the students.
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