A Florida teacher battling cancer ran out of sick leave, so coworkers donated enough of their own sick days to cover a whole semester,

A Florida teacher battling cancer ran out of paid sick leave. Then his coworkers gave him something he desperately needed: time.
In April 2018, Robert Goodman, a longtime history teacher at Palm Beach Gardens High School, was diagnosed with stage III colon cancer.

 

 

He underwent surgery and began chemotherapy, but the treatments left him exhausted.
As the new school year approached, Goodman faced another worry.
He had used up his available sick days and was not well enough to return to the classroom.
He needed approximately 20 additional days to qualify for his school district’s catastrophic leave program.
So, in July 2018, he posted a photograph of himself receiving treatment on Facebook and asked whether fellow educators could spare some of their accumulated sick leave.
What happened next surprised him.
Teachers, administrators, school staff and even cafeteria workers stepped forward to help.
Within just four days, they had donated 75 sick days, enough to cover an entire semester.
The donated leave meant Goodman could continue receiving pay while focusing on chemotherapy and recovery, without the immediate pressure of returning to work.
And his story didn’t end there.
In 2019, after months of treatment and a further health setback, Goodman returned to his classroom.
He was welcomed back by students who were happy to see him again.
A community of educators had helped one of their own through one of the most difficult periods of his life.
Sometimes the most meaningful thing we can give someone is time.
Sources: ABC News; CNN; WPBF; WPTV.
Have you ever seen coworkers come together to support someone during a difficult time?