Doing the right thing is tough ask

Natalie Ericsen says there is no support for seriously ill people trying to work. Photo / Sarah Ivey

Natalie Ericsen is doing what Paula Bennett wants - working despite a serious medical condition. But she doesn't feel she's getting any support for doing so.

Mrs Ericsen, 33, was born with type one diabetes, the inherited type that has nothing to do with diet or lifestyle.

She has had to inject herself with insulin for as long as she can remember. As a result of her illness, her kidneys have deteriorated to the point where she needs five hours on a dialysis machine three times a week. She is on the waiting list for a kidney transplant, and when she gets it she will need two months off from the agency where she works fulltime as a screening officer.

But she has used up all her sick leave and annual leave to attend medical appointments so she is worried about how she and her husband will be able to pay the mortgage on their Whangaparaoa home when she is out of work. She would like to see a short-term benefit to help her through.

"There is no support for people like us," she said. "Even if I did part-time work or reduced my hours, I still wouldn't qualify for a benefit because my husband works.

"I'm fully supportive of people being able to work fulltime. My argument is simply that for people [with] debilitating conditions, organisations need to realise that and be supportive of that."

She is negotiating with her employer to see if she can work on Saturdays to make up for time lost attending medical appointments during the week.