Julio César López Urbina

I work as a roofer, a job that many do not imagine how hard and dangerous it is. There are days when the heat feels like it's in an oven, especially when temperatures are over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Sometimes, I have to work next to hot asphalt machines, and the feeling is like you're standing next to a lake of boiling lava. The heat is so intense that breathing fresh air becomes almost impossible, and the smoke emitted by the machines damages our lungs. I've asked my boss for protective gear to avoid inhaling those fumes, but he never gives us anything.

I remember one day when, due to the heat and fatigue, I felt dizzy and ended up falling off a roof. Thank God, I only suffered a few scrapes, but it is clear to me that in this job, any carelessness can cost you your life. On another occasion, my colleagues had to help me down because I felt like I was going to faint. Heat stroke is common, and I myself have suffered from vomiting, headaches, and nosebleeds from extreme heat. My feet, from being on sloping and hot roofs, are full of calluses and wounds that make it difficult for me to even walk. In addition, excessive sweating and poor hygiene often cause me redness and sores on my legs and intimate areas.

Once, due to the unsanitary conditions, I contracted a bacterium called Staphylococcus aureus. It got into my skin and began to eat away at it, especially in delicate areas. I spent almost a year fighting that infection, fearing for my life, but I managed to move forward thanks to God. Another day, a splinter of wood stuck in my hand. The wound became infected due to sweat and dirt, and the swelling was so severe that the doctors thought they would have to amputate my hand. They were terrible days for me and my family. In the end, I managed to save her, but I was hospitalized and unable to work for a long time, which left us in a very difficult economic situation.

Despite all this, I keep going. There are days when the pain, exhaustion and frustration are so great that I barely have the strength to get up. My wife asks me what I have, and I just tell her that I'm tired, that working in the sun from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., with hot machines and no rest, is torture. She hears me and feels bad, but she can't imagine the pain I feel in my body: shattered feet, aching back, lungs damaged by smoke, and exhausted soul.

This job is not for everyone. To be a roofer, you need three things: a lot of need, courage, and a family that motivates you. Because this job leaves you without wanting to eat, without wanting to get up. There are days when I think about looking for something different, something less hard. But other jobs pay so little that I wouldn't be able to support my family. My young children do not understand if there is money or not; They only know that Dad feeds them, buys them their clothes, and keeps a roof over their heads. My in-laws and my mother in Nicaragua also depend on me.

Sometimes, the only thing that sustains me is my faith in God and love for my family. I ask the Lord to renew my strength to continue working and to one day touch my boss's heart, so that he will be more considerate of us. A little empathy would make a big difference: giving us longer breaks, water or serums to hydrate us, and safety equipment to protect us from so many dangers. This is not a job that can be taken lightly. We work under the sun, rain, cold and heat, facing constant risks. But we do it because we have families who depend on us and because we know that the sacrifice is worth it.

I hope my story will help others understand the reality of roofers. Many can't stand an hour on a roof, but those of us who do know what every penny we earn costs. It's not just about work; It's about survival.

God bless you and thank you for reading my story. I hope it inspires others to value more the efforts of those of us who do work like this and to reflect on how important empathy is in the workplace.

Julio César López Urbina, 37 years old from Nicaragua.  Roofer