A Smithtown woman filed a federal discrimination complaint that claims she was fired for having cancer.

Lynda Sabatelli, 26, said she worked for Dr. Brian Berliner at Lenscrafters in the Walt Whitman Mall in Huntington Station since September. Sabatelli was diagnosed with breast cancer in February and took four weeks off in March to undergo a double mastectomy, she said.

When she returned to work, Sabatelli claims everything changed.

"They made it difficult for me," she said. "First they cut my hours; they changed my health insurance policy; they moved me to a position where I wouldn't be interacting with the public."

After a few weeks, Sabatelli said she was transferred to a Lenscrafters location in Lake Grove, and was fired just days later.

Berliner fired Sabatelli, who started chemotherapy this week, because he didn't want to deal with her illness and recovery, she claimed. "He doesn't want patients seeing me with a bandana," Sabatelli said.

Berliner's attorney declined comment, but said he hadn't yet seen the official complaint. Lenscrafters said the company leases space to Berliner, but that he is not an employee.