Back in the Unemployment Line:
The Story of Finding Work with ARVD
So it appears that I have not written anything in over a years' time. Looking back on it, I may have thought I had nothing noteworthy to speak of. However, in the last two months, I have received long e-mails from individuals and families suffering from ARVD. Those individuals sparked a bit of inspiration in me to continue to share my story with others. So one topic I have yet to touch on involves working and finding a career while managing ARVD. I'm asked frequently about lifestyle effects from the diagnosis. The physical and exercise limitations of course are the most drastic effects for the majority of patients, but I would never have imagined the impact it has had on my employment situation. Ever since I became ill at the end of 2010, rejoining the workforce has been a very complicated and difficult and most of all, frustrating experience.
From as far back as I can remember I was always the tomboy type, anything that involved playing outside or competition, I wanted in. So naturally, physical jobs were more of a preference for me. As I grew into an adult, I knew I did not want an ordinary 9-5 job. I had and have no desire to sit stationary inside a cubicle for five days a week. From lifeguarding and working in a kitchen to catering and events, my jobs have always demanded a certain level of intense physicality. One could classify them as "on your feet, go, go, go" type of jobs.
In May of 2013, after almost three years of unemployment and a galore of health issues, I was finally able to return to work. With much excitement and enthusiasm, I acquired a job as a Part-time (20hrs/wk) hand-tossed pizza and sandwich maker for EarthFare, "the healthy supermarket." My first week there I was already scheduled for 40-hours instead of the promised twenty, a grueling schedule that finally ended when I quit three months later. I was the only team member trained in every aspect of the prepared foods section which included more manual labor and more hours than I had signed up for. After a few others quit and I was not given sufficient breaks during the day, I had no option but to quit, leaving me to look for work once again.
About a month after quitting I was told about an opening as a Sales Photographer at the highly esteemed Biltmore Estate. Experience was not required, so the fact that I had experience with photography, tourism, and sales, gave me a leg up. After an hour long interview and responding with Ferris Buellers Day Off as the answer to my favorite movie, I was offered the job. Not only was the job not physically strenuous, something I was not used to at all, it dealt with something I love, photography. And on top of that I got to work in a European inspired castle in the middle of the Appalachian mountains.
Being a sales photographer was the first job I've held that truly challenges the mind with almost no physical demands. But after 7 months with the Biltmore, I decided to call it quits with them as well. This time it was the mental stress that got to me. On a typical day we could have anywhere from 1000-7000+ guests come through the Biltmore, of which, every individual passes by the camera to be greeted by us. And for half of the visiting guests, it becomes an unpleasant experience for them, making our experience that less pleasant as well. On top of that, half the day is spent outside, which with all my medications, I am not able to brave the heat for too long. It paid well but it was a dead end job, leaving little to no room for advancement.
After quitting the Biltmore, I found a job immediately with the Asheville Tourists, the local minor league baseball team, selling merchandise in their store known as "The Tourist Trap." This is the same team that the reigning Super Bowl quarterback, Russell Wilson, played for in 2011 as a second baseman. I only worked during home games, five nights every two weeks, for minimum wage so I knew this was not the answer.
After much soul searching and figuring out what kind of job my body could handle physically and mentally, as well as a job that could offer me benefits, room for advancement, and transfer opportunities out west where my soul will always be, I decided to apply for a front desk position. I applied to ten different hotels and after four weeks I received a call from the Holiday Inn & Suites in downtown Asheville offering me a position.
I have now been working at this hotel for three weeks. There are no physical demands and the mental stress is drastically less than the Biltmore. I feel comfortable in this position and I expect and plan on turning this job into a career. The road to get to the position I'm currently in was a long and winding one, but on the way I learned more about myself and my limitations. It has not been an easy transition to adapt a life-long diagnosis into an already existing life but nonetheless it is adaptable.
Three years is a very long time to be out of the workforce, and to re-enter it without being physically capable of completing jobs that I once had, was hard to accept, but accepting is essential. There is no moving on and progressing as a person if there is no acceptance. Even though I am no longer able to work in events, where my passion truly lies, or live at a reclusive resort, I can come close. Life is always changing, for the better and for the worse. It's easy to let the hard times get you down, especially when it's your own body turning on you. I felt lost once I knew I no longer could be physically active, but now I believe it's opening new doors for me that I may have never opened myself. Do what you love, because life's too short not to.
Peace, love, and happiness dawgs!!!!
