Hello $PERSON_NAME:
$OPENING_PERSONALIZATION
$OPTIONAL_REQUEST_OR_COMMITMENT The rest of this email is an FYI update on my health and career plans — nothing which needs action or response below this line. :)
In response to mental health difficulties in late January, I took leave from work in February. I suspected I had a trauma disorder and I knew was not able to manage it. I also knew that education could be used as therapy. I started studying at Evergreen on April 1st as part of the Unruly Bodies program. Since then, I have made significant progress reducing my light sensitivity and other sensory issues.
I received a termination notice April Tenth, and a diagnosis of my trauma disorder April Twelfth. I sent in my forms for disability, and qualified to receive short term disability, which I have exhausted. I did not qualify for long term disability, but I am appealing that decision. In the interest of getting a clearer diagnosis and establishing a timeline of when this disorder developed, I reached out to the psychiatrist who diagnosed my autism in October of 2017. She gave me diagnostics and clearly stated that I have PTSD, and that I did not have this disorder in October of 2017 — which was the month that I began working at Microsoft.
I contacted Microsoft HR in late June, during the first week of the summer quarter. I was surprised to learn from HR that I am still at Microsoft, as an employee on leave. I am working with them to determine a return to work date. I also want to continue with my studies. I know there is a contradiction here, but I am think that it can be creatively resolved. I am dreaming about working for Microsoft Winter and Summer and on my degree Fall and Spring. I enrolled for summer quarter, and I want to finish the classes and independent projects which I started earlier this season.
All of this clicked into place in the last few weeks, and though the news is good, it was pretty overwhelming news that made it difficult to me to be functional and productive for more than a couple of hours on any given day. There has been very little work completed on my independent contracts and I have been struggling to stay up with the readings in my early summer (session A) class. I am seriously considering dropping my late summer (session B) class to make more space to focus on my independent contract studies.