‘My daughter got life-threatening cancer and I lost my job as a result’

Exclusive: Christina Harris is petitioning the government for better employment rights for parents with sick children

Christina Harris is petitioning for better employment rights for parents with sick children (Christina Harris)

A single mother who lost her job after her daughter became critically ill with cancer is calling for better support from employers.

Christina Harris, 45, was left devastated when her 10-year-old daughter Skye was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia, requiring urgent life-saving treatment and daily chemotherapy.

Despite being in her role as an estate agent negotiator for 19 years, she was informed within weeks that she could no longer be paid by her employer.

Skye was diagnosed with leukaemia in December 2021 and has since been undergoing intense treatment to save her life (Christina Harris)

Realising that there was no financial protection available to prevent her from losing her job, she suggested to work part-time or from home but was told it would be impractical.

“This was an absolute nightmare,” she told The Independent. “While already dealing with utter heartbreak, I now have no financial security ahead.”

She is now petitioning the Government to improve the rights of parents caring for seriously ill children, and ensure their jobs remain secure while overseeing their treatment.

Since her daughter’s diagnosis in December 2021, Ms Harris’ life has become a cycle of “medication, non-stop hospital appointments, general anaesthetics, lumbar punctures and bone marrow biopsies”.

Skye was rushed to Great Ormond Street Hospital after becoming unwell at her home in Rayleigh, Essex, and her mother was informed within days that her situation was serious.

“Initially, my manager phoned me when we were in hospital saying ‘don’t even worry about work, we’ll do everything we can to help you’,” Ms Harris said.

“After Christmas, a HR lady phoned me to say they’d looked into it and they were unable to pay me anything while I was off with her. I had no idea there was nothing in place to ensure I got financial help.”

Ms Harris was told within weeks of her daughter’s diagnosis that she would no longer receive her salary (Christina Harris)

While her offer to work from home was rejected, she was informed that they would have another call in a few months to discuss her role at the company.

Despite there being government benefits to provide assistance, she was forced to wait for three months until after Skye’s diagnosis to be eligible and had to rely on the generosity of others through a GoFundMe page.

Unfortunately, Skye suffered a number of side effects during the first year of her treatment, including a number of serious infections.

In follow-up meetings with her employer in September and January 2023, it became clear that her position was not going to be retained and she subsequently lost her job.

“I was told that unless I could commit to my previous hours, they couldn’t keep the job open any longer. I was really shocked, they’re not paying anyone else to do my job - they could have hired someone in the meantime.

She has had to rely on government benefits to support her two children (Christina Harris)

“I suggested coming in two days to the office and working from home three days a week but there was no flexibility at all. It was difficult to take, a really hard pill to swallow as I’d loved my job,” she said.

With Skye, now aged 11, still receiving daily chemotherapy and recently undergoing an operation, Ms Harris has been reliant on universal credit, disability allowance and child benefits to support her and her two children.

Since launching her petition, which now has nearly 50,000 signatures, she has been contacted by a number of other parents who have similarly lost their jobs once their children were diagnosed with serious illnesses.

“There’s very little financial help for people with unwell children which is a massive fault in the system.

“I absolutely feel like I’ve been let down, I feel like I’ve been pushed out because she’s ill.I just hope nobody has to go through what I’ve been through, dealing with a seriously ill child on your own and losing your job. I still don’t know what’s going to happen financially.”

A UK Government spokesperson said: “The Government understands the difficulties and worry faced by parents of seriously ill children. We have no plans to introduce a right to take a career break in these circumstances.”

Ms Harris’s former workplace declined to respond.