That's what happened to a registered nurse from Queens who kept working for her patients even though she was unpaid.
When the company she worked for went silent, she shouted out for 7 On Your Side.
Claudia Gordon is a nurse anesthetist and had been waiting for her paycheck to come for nine months.
It was a long time and a lot of money, $34,000.
Not getting it put life in limbo and and plans on hold for almost a year.
Gordon was at her boiling point and her husband of 40 years did his best to keep her calm.
The Queens professional, wife, and mother of three daughters has been unpaid for her highly skilled work as a certified and registered nurse.
"I mostly work in the OR, putting patients to sleep, waking them up," she said.
But it's the Anesthetist who was knocked out now and owed more than $34,000 for services she rendered nine months ago, just after the New Year.
"I waited and waited," she said.
Gordon contracted with University Physicians of Brooklyn and says last year they were five months late paying her invoices, and this year skipped an entire month.
"What was their excuse," Eyewitness News' Nina Pineda asked.
"We are working on it, and then I said at least tell me when I'll get paid," she said.
Then, the communication suddenly stopped.
Next, she got an alarming undeliverable email from the group's CFO.
"When I get the email that it bounced back from the CFO, that's when I said, no I need help," Gordon said. "I watch Channel 7 and I know your track record of doing what you say you would do."
7 On Your Side contacted the University Physicians of Brooklyn and asked for Claudia's pay.
Within a day, the group responded, "Although we generally do not comment on personnel matters, we want to assure you that the issue has been resolved."
Gordon got her check for $34,150.
"I got paid! Thank you so much," she said. "I couldn't have done it without you. You did it again 7 On Your Side."
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Bill for ambulance ride throws NJ man into collections 2 years later
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