Elizabeth Bamford holds many titles: CEO, Daughter-In-Law, Half-Marathon Participant. But in her opinion, her most important title is “Disabled Warrior”: because no matter what, she does not let her disability stop her from achieving her goals. This includes denying her employee’s PTO requests.
“When I was first diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, it was a shock” Bamford tells us. “I thought: ‘wow, is this really happening to me?’ I went to therapy. Then I went to Japan – then I went back into therapy because of some stuff that happened in Japan. Now, I finally feel at peace with my body and diagnosis. No longer will arthritis stop me from seeing my assistant’s PTO request to spend time with her sick aunt and smashing that ‘deny’ button.”
Rheumatoid arthritis affects approximately 1.3 million adults in the United States – that’s around 1% of the population. Bamford asserted, “that even though she’s disabled now, she still tries to live every day the same.”
“Even though I struggle with my disability, I’ve still managed to keep the same routine that I had before I was diagnosed: I get a fresh-squeezed glass of orange juice from the housekeeper; dismiss her before she asks for a tip; check my email; yell at my assistant; raise my yearly bonus a few credits; then hop on local news radio anonymously to stir up anti-union sentiment.” Bamford told us, “I’m just like every other disabled gal.”
One of Bamford’s employees, who wished to remain nameless, verified Bamford’s management style: “Yeah, I heard that the boss lady got diagnosed with arthritis this year. She was also mentioned in Time Magazine – not for her achievements though. I think she was involved in some type of child labor bust? It all got covered up. Anyway, I gotta go – I only have 12 seconds left in my pee break”.
Stay tuned to the History Channel for the upcoming hour-long special about Bamford’s life: “Disabled Warrior: The Story of Elizabeth Bamford And How She Revolutionized Minimum Shift Laws While Pocketing Millions.”