Haley Rockwood’s firsthand look at how universal paid leave can protect workers, strengthen families, and support healthier communities.
Written by Haley Rockwood
A fourth open-heart surgery is a monumental hill to climb—and without paid leave, it nearly broke my family.
I was born with a congenital heart defect. In January 2023, I faced my fourth surgery while raising a toddler and working as a preschool teacher. Despite my employer’s support, I had only six weeks of PTO and couldn’t afford unpaid leave, so I returned to work before I was fully healed.
That decision came at a cost. Driving and lifting more than 10 pounds—both against medical advice—were part of my job. Instead of gradually regaining strength, I jumped back into a full workload. Today, I still feel the consequences: chronic weakness and neck pain from lifting before my body was ready.
Financially, we were stretched thin. My husband has a good job, but we still needed my income. We lived frugally yet had to rely on credit cards for groceries. It took over a year to pay off that debt. Paid leave would have meant I could recover safely instead of letting financial strain dictate a poor path to healing. It would have been better for me and safer for the kids under my care.
The stress didn’t stop there. Using all my PTO meant I had nothing left for the rest of the year. My heart condition requires bloodwork every two weeks, and for the rest of 2023, I lost pay for every appointment. Without paid leave, it felt like a never-ending cycle of falling behind.
Every time I thought about staying home to rest, guilt weighed heavily on me. My absence meant the preschool couldn’t meet required staff ratios, putting stress on my colleagues and affecting the quality of care for the children. My employer—a small, woman-owned business—couldn’t afford to pay both my salary and a substitute teacher. That’s the reality for many small businesses in Vermont: they want to support their employees, but without a universal paid leave program, they simply can’t. The result is burnout for staff, financial strain for families, and a ripple effect that touches the entire community.
The American Heart Association supports paid leave because it saves lives. Heart surgery and stroke recovery require weeks of rest and caregivers to prevent complications. Without universal paid leave, over 70% of Vermont workers are one family or medical emergency away from losing their pay—and for some, even their job.
Paid leave is a proven tool to keep employees connected to the workforce throughout their lives. This keeps workers earning, spending, and saving for retirement. Nearly every other industrialized country in the world, plus thirteen states, including New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Maine, have passed universal paid leave policies. We know from their experience that paid leave builds a strong workforce, supports healthy families and fights poverty.
Everyone will need support at some point. Paid leave provides that safety net. I stand by the American Heart Association and the Vermont Paid Leave Coalition in their effort to pass legislation on paid leave across the state. Vermont families deserve this security. Let’s give every patient, parent, and business the chance to thrive.
Haley Rockwood, South Burlington, VT
We are working with the Paid Leave Coalition of Vermont to collect at least 802 reasons that universal paid leave will benefit Vermont residents. If you would like to submit a reason that you support paid leave policies in Vermont, visit Heart.org/802reasons.
The views, opinions and positions expressed within these guest posts are those of the author alone and do not represent those of The American Heart Association | American Stroke Association. The accuracy, completeness and validity of any statements made within this article are not guaranteed. We accept no liability for any errors, omissions or representations. The copyright of this content belongs to the author and any liability with regards to infringement of intellectual property rights remains with them.
The American Heart Association’s blog is not intended to provide medical advice or treatment. Only your healthcare provider can provide that. The American Heart Association recommends that you consult your healthcare provider regarding your personal health matters. If you think you are having a heart attack, stroke or another emergency, please call 911 immediately.