06/15/2026
A grieving father was running out of time, money, and strength — until his coworkers stepped in.
In 2015, Jonathan Dupré had used up all of his paid vacation days after his 4-year-old daughter, Naëlle, was diagnosed with a serious form of kidney cancer.
The industrial glassworks employee in Sénarpont, France, was trying to keep working while also being there for his daughter through 31 weeks of chemotherapy. It was an impossible situation for any parent.
Then his coworkers learned what he was facing.
Using a French labor law that allows employees to donate rest days to colleagues caring for critically ill children, they came together and gave him an incredible 350 days of paid leave.
That gift meant Jonathan could stay by Naëlle’s hospital bedside for nearly a full year without losing his income.
It gave the family something priceless: time, stability, and the ability to focus on healing.
Naëlle eventually reached full remission and returned to school.
Sometimes compassion is not just words. Sometimes it is coworkers giving what they can so a father does not have to choose between his paycheck and his child.