How the Toronto Sun accommodated Sandy's illness at work
"The Toronto Sun was my salvation—my second family—a noisy, colourful, often wildly overgrown garden where I was nurtured and encouraged to blossom," Sandy says. "I felt at home there, with lots of other characters who were celebrated for what we produced, and never ostracized for our eccentricities. I found my soul mates there, and as long as we made our deadlines—and I never missed mine—we had a wonderful time."1 Sandy's illness was no secret from her editors and because she was very open about her needs, she had no problem being treated humanely, just as anyone with any illness would have been treated. The Sun was a flexible workplace and she was able to easily fit in her frequent doctor's appointments.
For Sandy, a typical manic scenario begins with the disruption
of sleep patterns. She sleeps less and less, which usually
leads to a short period of hypo-mania, a hyper-active state
characterized by frenetic activity and feelings of euphoria.
She then becomes psychotic. She sometimes has delusions of
grandeur, believing at times that she has supernatural powers.
Sandy would be hospitalized for between six weeks and three
months during these episodes.
"I had spent an entire night in the newsroom, convinced I was the publisher," Sandy says, recalling one episode, "typing up my master plan for redesigning the paper, complete with lists of firings and promotions." In the early hours of the morning, her editor Kathy Brooks took Sandy to Mount Sinai Hospital, where she was admitted. One thing Sandy made a point of doing early on was tell her editor the name and phone number of her psychiatrist, just in case she might need to contact him. She also helped educate her editors and colleagues about her mental illness and what they might expect if she became Hypomanic or manic.
Since, initially, the Sun's disability program did not provide the option of returning to work part-time, it was a good thing that Sandy bounced back quickly and completely after each episode. Shortly after being discharged from hospital, she was able to return to work full-time. The Sun was always willing to accommodate Sandy's psychiatric needs including time for appointments and flexible work arrangements.
NEXT: Handling the challenges
- Chatelaine, October 1999.
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