PANAMA CITY —Joey Farrill can breathe a sigh of relief thanks to the generosity of fellow Bay County employees, who have donated hundreds of hours of their unused paid sick time so Farrill gets a paycheck while he recovers from surgery.
Bay County employees donated 320 hours of their unused sick time to Farrill — the maximum total allowed under a new county policy — just 45 minutes after employees were notified the county was allowing them to donate the time. Other employees who wanted to donate more time were unable to when they were told Farrill had reached his limit.
“It was amazing,” said Farrill, a Southport resident who has worked in the county’s risk management division for four years. “I’m very humbled. There are some very good people who work for Bay County.”
He said his unpaid sick time would have run out last week, leaving his family without his income.
“I would have had to go on leave without pay,” he said. “I’m glad that didn’t happen. It would have been extremely difficult for us as a family.”
He said he now can focus on recovery.
“Our employees have made our life a whole lot better by not having to worry about (not having a check), and now I can really focus on getting well,” Farrill said. “They are amazing people. It’s every department that has contributed. I’ve had so many cards and letters. I’m just so humbled and blessed to know that I’m part of that organization.”
On Nov. 18, commissioners voted to change its policy so employees can donate unused, paid sick time to fellow employees with long-term illnesses or injuries. The new policy allows each employee to donate up to 16 hours of unused paid sick time.
After surviving Stage 4 cancer, Farrill went in for what was considered routine gall bladder surgery and encountered complications. It was an unexpected blow to the family, said Farrill’s wife, Lisa.
“God saved his life” from cancer, she said. “I don’t know how people don’t believe that. But miracles happen, so Joey is a miracle. Our family has been through stuff before. Then this happened. This was supposed to be routine surgery.”
Her voice quivering with emotion, she said she cannot even begin to explain how grateful her family is for the support of county employees.
“We’re overwhelmed with the generosity and support we’ve received from them,” she said. “It lets us concentrate more on Joey getting better instead of having to worry about how we were going to pay bills. I’m very humbled. I hope that one day we can pay it forward.”
She said it’s been amazing how many county employees have been checking up on her husband.
“It’s just like one big family,” she said. “It’s letting us concentrate on what we need to concentrate on — him getting better — and it has taken the stress off of him and our kids. Everyone was worried about how we were going to make it. Now we can get off of how we’re going to make it and more worry about how to make Joey get better.”