She Called Out Her Coworker For Lying About A Serious Medical Condition In Front Of Everyone
When someone in the office goes on and on about having a serious medical condition, it’s natural to assume they’re telling the truth, especially if they demand special accommodations because of it.
That’s why watching them suddenly abandon the restrictions they’ve pushed so hard for can feel like more than just hypocrisy: it’s like they’re undermining everyone who actually has to live with the condition for real.
And when that condition is one you’ve seen a loved one struggle with firsthand, the urge to speak up in the moment is even stronger, even if it means calling them out in front of everyone.
This woman has a coworker named Emma who has spent the last year broadcasting to their office that she has celiac disease.
Emma nonstop discusses how she can’t find food she can safely eat and has to force restaurants to switch out gloves when making her meals. She even demanded that their office bring in gluten-free options for meetings.
“At yesterday’s office party, Emma was in line ahead of me at the pizza table. I watched her take two slices of regular pizza, not the expensive gluten-free ones we specially ordered for her,” she explained.
“When I asked if she grabbed the wrong slices by mistake, she said, ‘Oh, I’m not being strict today.’ I said, ‘Emma, you can’t just not be strict with celiac disease. That’s not how autoimmune disorders work.'”
Many of their coworkers listened in as she called out Emma. Things got even juicier when Emma defended herself by saying she’s sensitive to gluten but doesn’t have celiac disease, so she occasionally ‘cheats’ when she sees delicious food.
She reminded Emma that she went on and on about how she had celiac disease and even had their office spend more money to accommodate her.
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As for why you’re wondering why she got so upset about Emma lying, her own sister does have celiac disease, and she can’t take days off from her diet.
If her sister eats even a small amount of gluten, it results in debilitating symptoms that last weeks on end. Emma pretending to have the disease her sister does makes it difficult for people who have celiac disease to be taken seriously.
She also thinks Emma is trivializing a valid autoimmune condition.
“Now she’s saying I humiliated her publicly, and several coworkers think I was being a ‘food police’ [jerk]. Others agree that she’s been lying about a serious medical condition,” she added.
She’s wondering if perhaps she should have pulled Emma aside privately to call her out instead of doing it in front of their whole office.
“She’s saying I ‘outed’ her medical information, even though she’s the one who’s been openly discussing her supposed celiac disease for months,” she continued.
“[Am I the jerk] for calling out what seemed like a clear lie, or should I have minded my own business?”
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