I was 8 months pregnant, working 12-hour shifts in a Birmingham warehouse because I needed the money and health insurance. During a heatwave, I collapsed in pain and asked my manager, Sterling, to leave early for a doctor. He snapped, “Use vacation days or don’t come back.”
I went to the hospital alone and lost my baby that night.
A week later, still grieving, I returned to work. On my desk was a taped box. Inside weren’t my belongings, but legal documents making me a shareholder in the company—and a gold locket engraved with a sparrow. A note read: “To Arthur’s mother. He would have wanted you cared for.”
The company’s real owner, Mrs. Gable, had been alerted by a warehouse worker who witnessed Sterling’s cruelty. She investigated, fired Sterling, and uncovered widespread labor violations. Then she offered me his job as Director of Operations.
I accepted. I implemented paid emergency leave, changed the workplace culture, and made sure no one ever had to choose between their health and their job again.
I couldn’t save my son—but his short life changed hundreds of others. And I learned that real leadership is choosing kindness when it matters most.