WOMAN GETS FIRED FOR HAVING CANCER

14-9-2014 2.35PM IST

Medhaj News: A Pennsylvania surgeon fired a loyal employee of 12 years after she was diagnosed with cancer — in a letter that many criticized as coldblooded and heartless.

Carol Jumper, 51, of Hopewell Township in western Pennsylvania, received the handwritten letter from Dr. George Visnich Jr. dated Aug. 11.

"The symptoms of the disease, the pain medications you will need and the side effects of the chemotherapy will be significant and distracting," the letter reads.

"You will not be able to function in my office at the level required while battling for your life. Because of this, I am laying you off without pay as of August 11, 2014. Your last paycheck will be mailed to you this Friday, 8/15/14."

Jumper's friends and family were reportedly disgusted by the letter and her sister Joyce made photocopies of it.

"I was pissed when I read that letter. No kind of man sends a letter like that," the woman's fiancé, Dennis Smerigan, told the Beaver Countian.

One friend, Rose Lerini, posted a copy of the letter to Facebook where it went viral — mustering up support for Jumper and condemnation for Visnich, according to the local site

But the oral surgeon's attorney, Larry Kelly, said the whole controversy stems from a misunderstanding and that his client actually did a "humanitarian thing."

Visnich laid off Jumper so she could collect unemployment benefits while receiving treatment, "with the understanding that when she is feeling better, she can come back to work," Kelly told the Beaver County Times.

Her friend, John Barkovich, told the Pennsylvania paper that Jumper isn't concerned with Visnich or the letter — she has other priorities right now.

"She's in a fight for her life," Barkovich said.

To rally support, Jumper's friends launched a Facebook group called "Bumpers Buddies," which already has nearly 1,000 members.