[yeck]

In my immediate family I have 3 people that have taken multi-year periods away from work for health reasons. Two are mental health related and the other severe arthritis. 2 of those 3 will probably never work again for the rest of their lives.

I've worked with a contractor that went into a coma during covid. Nearly half a year in a coma, then rehab for many more months. Guy is working now, but not shape.

I don't know the stats, but I'd be surprised if long medical leaves are as rare as you think.

[filleduchaos]

Yeah, there are thousands of hospitals across the US and they don't run 24/7 shifts just to treat the flu or sprained ankles. Disabling events happen a lot.

(A seriously underrated statistic IMO is how many women leave the workforce due to pregnancy-related disability. I know quite a few who haven't returned to full-time work for years after giving birth because they're still dealing with cardiovascular and/or neurological issues. If you aren't privy to their medical history it would be very easy to assume that they just decided to be stay-at-home mums.)