Dubai: An aviation expert who has been working here with an aircraft company in Sharjah did not expect the rough landing he would encounter after undergoing knee surgery in the UAE.
He landed in debt after he found himself unemployed following health problems.
The 59-year-old American engineer William Mondy told Gulf News that he used to work for an aircraft and helicopter operator at Sharjah free zone.
“I joined work at the company’s corporate office in Sharjah in July 2012 as an aircraft engineer,” he said.
Mondy has worked as a large jet aircraft ground engineer in aviation companies all over the world for the past 40 years.
“I came here from Lithuania, where I used to work in an aviation company, to join an international company in Sharjah but I found myself in debt and wanted by police over my rent, which I failed to pay after the company terminated me without even an advance notice,” he said.
Mondy, who hails from Philadelphia, is a father of three daughters and a son who are all living back home.
According to Mondy’s termination letter obtained by Gulf News, he was terminated because of personal problems he suffered due to his health problems.
He said he needs further knee-replacement surgery.
“I have not been home for nearly seven months, I must continue to try to sort out my life here and get back on track,” he said.
“Terminating me caused many problems, I pray I can overcome and get on with normal life again soon. Right now the most important thing for me is to start and get back [to] working. I was given a new job opportunity but [it has been] halted because of my visa issue. Maybe somehow, someone, somewhere can pull me through this and help me out, I will make good of this and be indebted,” he added.
“My loss of employment has caused a severe adverse domino effect on my life and progress as I have bank loans, credit cards and car loan, which is almost Dh250,000,” he said.
He said he never thought he would lose his job.
“I need to work in order to pay my loans and I cannot work because I have a police case [at Sharjah police] over my rent bounced cheque of Dh17,500,” he said.
“I just need to pay the rent money in order to revoke the police case and get a new job,” said Mondy.
“It is difficult to face the fact that because of my financial state, I also will not be able to go home to Belarus for Christmas where my wife is living,” he said. “As I sit here nearly in tears, I need to recover the quality [of life] I lost nearly three months ago, it is more then money, its my future.”
He said he has other job opportunities but cannot work until he sees the return of his passport, which is being held by his previous employee.
“The company said that they cannot cancel my visa or to hand me my passport because of the police case against me,” he said.
He said he cannot now even afford his medication, which he needs to take after the knee replacement surgery he underwent three months ago in Dubai.
“My doctor found my medication at Al Baraha Hospital. It is a tightly controlled antibiotic used for people who have Tuberculosis. It is also the most effective medication to keep my right leg infection at bay,” he said.
“I began running low of this antibiotic two weeks ago and I cut back to one dose a day, now my blood test shows my CRP reading high at 58; it was 38 [and] normal last month. I am supposed to take it twice a day with another antibiotic and it keeps my issue under control but I cannot afford the medicine due to the lack of funds,” he said. “The medicine is expensive and my insurance ended last month and I’m on my own now with this brick wall.”
