Woman says she was fired for leaving work to get mammogram

MERCER COUNTY, Pa. — A Mercer County woman claims she was fired for leaving work to get a mammogram.

Jamie Crytzer, 30, told WKBN in Youngstown, Ohio, that she discovered a lump in her breast last month and was supposed to have a screening next week. However, someone cancelled their appointment on Monday, and she was called to come in for her screening.

Crytzer said she asked her boss at Hickory Grille in Hermitage if she could leave for an hour in the middle of her shift to go to the appointment.

"She just said, you know, you're (going to) do whatever you want, and this is job abandonment," Crytzer told WKBN.

Crytzer said she ultimately decided to leave and went to the appointment. However, when she returned to work Tuesday, she said she was told that she no longer had a job.

"They felt that I left them with a skeleton shift during lunch, that since they already knew that I had an appointment the following week, they felt I could have waited," she told WKBN.

When contacted by WKBN for comment, the company that owns Hickory Grille gave the following statement:

"Thank you for emailing us for our side of the story regarding Jamie Crytzer. We are unable to comment on this particular occurrence, but we can say that all personnel actions taken were in complete accordance with proper personnel management. We want our community to know that we have helped many, many employees through difficult times throughout the years, and will continue to do so. We care deeply for our employees and their families. The Springfield Restaurant Group's primary goal has always been to take care of people, both employees and guests."

The single mother said, in the end, the test results showed her lump wasn’t cancerous.

"It's unfortunate," Crytzer told WKBN. "I'm sorry that I lost my job over being proactive for my health."

WPXI