An Amherst, N.S., man who said he was fired by a plumbing supply company because he was battling cancer has won six months' severance pay after suing for wrongful dismissal.

Mark McIntyre was laid off last fall by EMCO Corp., a week after finishing a leave to undergo chemotherapy for bladder cancer.

McIntyre and his wife, Michelle Hicks, fought back with a Facebook campaign that eventually had 900 members. They also hired a lawyer.

The company settled shortly afterwards.

"I sleep a lot better with it and I don't have to think about as much," McIntyre said Monday. "It's not on my mind all the time. I'm not reminded of it every day."

McIntyre signed an agreement not to talk about the details of the settlement. The company agreed to pay Hicks a nominal amount not to discuss the details.

"They offered me $10, but they never did ever pay me," she said. After waiting 90 days, she consulted a lawyer and was advised she could talk.

"They came back with an offer of six months of severance," Hicks said of EMCO's response to the lawsuit. The company also offered to pay the couple's legal fees.

"We were concerned about Mark's health, so we made the decision that we would just settle and get on with things, " Hicks said.

Despite its desire for confidentiality, the company sent letters to contractors explaining it had reached a deal with McIntyre. In the letter signed by John Martin, a regional vice-president, the company blamed a misinterpretation for what happened with McIntyre. The company also said it owed him an apology although it has never offered one.

"I don't think there's any misinterpreting what happened," Hicks said. "You don't misinterpret being fired and being escorted to the door."

Last week, McIntyre got some good news about his health.

"I went in for a scope and I was free and clear," he said. "And it's been six months and that's the one I've been waiting for."