Written by Megan Greening, Supplier Marketing Specialist
When Customer Service Representative (CSR) Jessica Wright started her career at Dot Foods, she never imagined the difficulties she would have to endure while juggling a new job.
“During my first year at Dot, my son, Brayden, got sick with strep throat and had it for a consistent 90-day period. It brought on huge behavior changes and I had no idea what was going on,” said Jessica.
“After doing some research, I came across an article about PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcus). Basically, the strep went to his brain and it stayed there until his body realized it shouldn’t be there and started to attack itself. With this came tantrums, separation anxiety, tics… and the list goes on,” elaborated Jessica.
“There were days in the beginning when a tantrum would last over 8 hours. He had to miss countless days of school until we could finally see a specialist where he was confirmed to have this disorder,” said Jessica. “My 4-year-old had gone back to a mental age of 2 or 3.”
This challenging time came with countless hospital stays, doctors’ appointments, and sometimes having to leave work at a moment’s notice. Through it all, Jessica persevered and got her son the care that he needed. Looking back, Jessica is grateful for the support she received from Dot—even as a new employee.
“They allowed me to have a flexible schedule and work remotely from my hotel,” said Jessica. “They had my back every day—on good and bad days.”
Five years later, Brayden is now 9 and thriving.
“2020 has been a blessing in disguise for him,” said Jessica. “PANDAS is triggered by sickness, so he’s been home and learning virtually with his class every day. Since he has not been sick, he is finally thriving in the classroom, doing his homework, and has done a 360 in that area of his life.”
“I am very thankful for the flexibility we’ve had to be able to keep working while also keeping him home and healthy.”