Claudia Rendon, Pa. Mom, Fired After Taking Off To Donate Kidney To Son (VIDEO)

After using up her vacation days to take care of her dying mother, Claudia Rendon took a leave of absence to donate a kidney to her sick son. But, when she was well enough to return to work, Rendon found out she had been replaced, myfoxphilly.com reports.

"Everything was coming down all at once,” Caludia Rendon told Fox 29. “I felt like the best thing that happened to me this whole entire year was that God gave me the blessing of being able to give my son my kidney."

After taking time off to take care of her ailing mother who recently passed away, Rendon’s father was diagnosed with leukemia, her father died and her son’s kidneys started to fail. Without hesitation, Rendon decided to take a leave of absence from her job at the Aviation Institute Of Maintenance, in Northeast Philadelphia. Her boss forced her to sign an agreement saying that her job wouldn’t be guaranteed on return. When Rendon tried to get her job back last week, her supervisor showed her the door.

"She saved my life basically,” says Alex Rendon. “Who else can say their mom gave them life two times?"

WATCH:

Mom Loses Job After Kidney Donation: MyFoxPHILLY.com

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Comments

[see-ellen2001]

07:24 PM on 09/15/2011

Wow. Scrooge lives.

[AdamONeill]

01:44 AM on 09/14/2011

I understand the dilemma for her employer, but this type of situation really deserves a bit of compassion and empathy. You really couldn't give her her job back? Seriously? That's just cold blooded. Really. Make a damn concession.

[Gregg-O]

01:18 AM on 09/14/2011

Absolutely disgusting of Aviation Institute Of Maintenance to treat an employee like this. This woman had more pain come her way in the last 6 month's than anyone should have to deal with. I understand they broke no law, I understand that profit come's before anything in most of our larger company's.....But SOMEONE WITH DEEP POCKET'S NEEDS TO HIRE EVERYONE AWAY FROM THAT COMPANY and force them to close their doors. They better hope I don't hit the lotto tonight !. As much as I've been told I can be cold-hearted at time's...storie's like this just tear me up.

[pululima]

01:00 AM on 09/14/2011

May her boss suffer the same fit this woman endures.

[bbursky]

12:06 AM on 09/14/2011

Rick Perry justice!

[Cathy Walker]

12:05 AM on 09/14/2011

Shame on that place of business. obviously they have more concern for the money they make then for human life. She should sue them for everything that they have. Then maybe they will change their minds when it comes to people and family. Family always comes first.

[Dross Cool]

10:29 PM on 09/13/2011

SUI THE BASTRDS

[aries932]

10:19 PM on 09/13/2011

I sure she will get pleanty of job offers now...say good riddence to such a calius outfit.

[kedikatt]

10:09 PM on 09/13/2011

If I was an employer and this person recounted the story during a job interview, I would hire her.
She demonstrates strengths and loyalties that a company should value. She can deal with terrible strife. She goes the extra mile and then some.
In fact she really lives the phony mission statements that companies post in their lobbies.
Few of those companies live up to them.

[rondonit]

10:03 PM on 09/13/2011

I would like to know how long she was unavailable to produce profits for her employer. I replaced a Secretary who was gone for three months with one that served better than her predecessor. I however, accepted the original upon her health improving and refused to release the "New Hire" due to her efficiency. What I got was a dramatic increase in productivity (and temporarily, profit). Right up 'til the point that the original Secretary drove away the more efficient worker. What is the "Ethical" choice? Looking back, I should have released the first one permanently, 5 or 6 weeks into the ordeal rather than accept the "plausible" stalling. Bottom line, if you don't produce, you're a liability. When it comes time to reducing expenses and keeping the company sound, loyalty is a 2 way street. As an employee, my loyalty is first to the companies profitability, without it I have no employer anyway. I left a job due a personal emergency that I couldn't foretell the end of, this freed them to continue their mission without me. If I wanted, I'd be a ReHire tomorrow. Just something to consider.

[morganlady]

12:40 AM on 09/14/2011

Yours is a different story. Her story is a story of indecent behavior.

[Fran Pipkin]

01:32 AM on 09/14/2011

you are just a money grubber and a heartless soul and they just didn't want you back.

[annadams]

09:20 PM on 09/13/2011

This would be a great PR story for a company that read this article and then decided to hire her. I'm sure the TV station, Huffington Post, the newspapers and any other media outlet that covered this story would recover it with an update and a mention of the wonderful company that hired her. For example, if Goodwill Industries hired her, that would spark people to donate their clothes to Goodwill, people to shop there, people to donate money to the organization, and so on. This is just an example of one company. Whoever wants good publicity - here;s your chance to grab it.

[Catriona]

09:17 PM on 09/13/2011

That wouldn't happen in the EU where such acts by employers are illegal as they constitute 'unfair dismissal'.

Nothing could get me to return to the US. Nothing. Thank God I'm now European.

[annadams]

09:26 PM on 09/13/2011

You are very lucky to live in Europe. I heard that because of the six weeks paid vacation along with other benefits, many American engineers are moving to France. Then, because the engineering talent moved to France, many businesses followed because engineers make up a very needed talent pool; a talent pool that helps businesses grow and helps business become more profitable.

[Catriona]

09:41 PM on 09/13/2011

I am an engineer, a PE, as is my boss. We both emigrated from the US and became citizens, me in the UK and her in France, bringing our children with us.

We are indeed fortunate, and the kids never want to go back.

There are loads of Americans living and working here, especially scientists and engineers.

[crowepps]

03:34 AM on 09/14/2011

I think it would be the same here, except that she signed a release agreeing they could fire her and she wouldn't sue. People should NOT allow themselves to be pressured into signing things!

[Catriona]

12:56 PM on 09/14/2011

It would be illegal nevertheless. One can't sign away one's civil rights.

I'm guessing that in signing that paper she assured that benefits, like health insurance, would continue, rather than her being sacked on the spot and having to undergo the surgery without insurance. (Just a guess.)

[bogey1]

08:35 PM on 09/13/2011

call the company;

Toll Free 1-888-349-5387

[tro2011]

06:26 PM on 09/13/2011

another heartless place of employment! shame on aviation institute of maintenance ! you should be embarresed! you should be helping the mother and son ! you should find a cave and crawl in it!

[totellthtruth1949]

06:17 PM on 09/13/2011

I feel really bad for this lady, I really do. However she signed the paper presented to her by her boss. I am not a law student, but that might be binding. The reporter who initially reported this, Claire Gordon, is beautiful, young hot and may help get this some attention, however the FMLA not applying here does not really help much.
I sincerely hope that the boss of this aviaation company finds work for Claire Rendon. Especially, if she had been a good employee. I empathize and sympathize strongy with Ms. Rendon. My brother needed a kidney transplant in 2002. I had just....just closed on a new house. I did not even check to see if I was a match. FMLA would not have covered me. He died shortly thereafter. :-( To this day I feel like crap.
I hope there are people that can help Ms Rendon.

[Foucek]

09:15 PM on 09/13/2011

I would walk through fire for my brother.

[Susie Ries Barnes]

09:22 PM on 09/13/2011

As you should. Republican much?

[totellthtruth1949]

09:40 PM on 09/13/2011

I would if I could, believe it or not I do not care. That is why I said that it would be nice if people "could help". No one is obligated to do anything. Politics have nothing to do with it. My budget has died and been buried twice over. I am a strict Solitarian. I SHOULD NOT do anything but breathe, sleep, bathe, eat to exist, pass gas when necessary and die. I do not know what "REPUBLICAN MUCH?" means and I do not care, as I mentioned, politics are not important to me. Each human is allowed to practice his or her right to vote/note vote and practice/not practice their religion as they please. I do not say what humans SHOULD OR SHOULD NOT DO IF I IMPLIED THAT I APOLOGIZE. Each does what each cans and feels comfortable with. I do not preach, nor mandate. I do not have that right , nor power, neither do you. Once in a while I give an opinion. Often I state facts that I have researched carefully. Sometimes I share personal experiences. If others get anything positive from what I opine/write or rant on about, great if not.....I am me.

[totellthtruth1949]

05:46 PM on 09/14/2011

I did not see an earlier reply to to. Moderators monitor me closely. I can not help monetarily as my means do not permit. I never used the word "should". I used the word "could". I never say anyone should do anything. This is where I think mods deleted my last comment. I used stronger. i will cool it here. All we should/have to do is breathe, sleep, eat, human bodily functions and die. I do not know what "republican much?" means. I don 't care for an explanation. I am no political party in particular. Politics is a sore subject, as is religion. I consider myself a SOLITARIAN. I would help this lady if I could. You do not have that. No one does. I don't care about that either. I comment on these things as my opinion and to pass the time. Whatever other humans wish to do with what I write is up to them.