‘They don’t care’: how the US lets down workers with serious illnesses

Ernest Paschal II was fired from Walmart while recovering from sepsis - and like many sick workers, he's found employers aren't accommodating

Last summer 44-year-old Ernest Paschal II was fired from his job at a Walmart in South Carolina while recovering from sepsis. Paschal is paraplegic due to a work injury he sustained at the age of 19 and had his left leg amputated in 2019 due to a medical condition.

Like many US workers living with serious illness, Paschal found some employers have little interest - and almost no incentive - to make accommodations for sick workers.