A 19-year-old delivery driver diagnosed with cancer claims he was fired from his job at a suburban Chicago restaurant when he informed his employer he needed to take six weeks off work for surgery.
Jonathan Larson was diagnosed with cancer of the brain and spine. He has had several rounds of radiation and now needs back surgery, he said.
The surgery would require him to take time off of his job as a delivery driver at Naperville’s Rosebud Restaurant. Larson claims that when he told his boss about his upcoming procedure and said he could be back in six weeks, he was let go.
“[My manager] said, ‘No, by that time I’ll already have another driver hired. Just leave, I have to make some phone calls,” Larsen said. “I’m really disappointed and saddened by it. It’s not something I can help.”
A spokesperson for Rosebud Restaurants said they could not comment on specific personnel matters “due to employee and human resources confidentiality standards.”
“For more than thirty-six years Rosebud has been successful through the hard work of our employees,” the statement read. “We are thoroughly investigating this matter to determine if our processes and protocols were appropriately followed. Rosebud proudly serves the Chicagoland community and considers it our mission to treat all employees fairly.”
Larson said he feels “disrespected and demeaned” because of his diagnosis.
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“I would love an apology,” he said. “It would go a long way to make me feel better about the situation.”
