“Our work is very tough. I leave work at 2:15 a.m. and I often don't have time to stop to eat before I start work so I have to go on just my lunch for the entire day. On bad days the strain on my body makes my asthma worse and I have to seek whatever medical attention I can get before things get worse."

As a woman living with severe asthma and without employer paid family healthcare or adequate sick days, Maria has few options in dealing with her asthma attacks – which have gotten worse.

“It’s difficult to survive off of my salary, especially when you have a daily health concern and no healthcare and just three sick days year – I pray every day and hope that that day my asthma will not act up.”

Maria would have more peace of mind if she could just obtain healthcare coverage that would allow her the inhalers and medicine her body needs. Breathing in peace is not something she takes for granted especially not when she is having a severe asthma attack and must somehow notify over the phone that she needs immediate medical attention. This worries her and leaves her feeling vulnerable.

“I wish I could just go to the doctor when I needed it. I work hard and do everything my body needs to function well, but there is nothing I can do to alleviate my asthma – not without medical attention.”

Maria lives in a trailer with her cousin and works hard to stretch her money out between paychecks. Luckily she has a tight knit group of friends who pitch in when Maria cannot afford to pay for food.

“We do communal meals to help each other so that we won’t reach a point where we can’t eat. I can afford to have fish once a week and can eat fruits and vegetables every day but there have been times where I couldn’t afford to eat healthily (and I worked two shifts!) – and that is why I’m fighting for a better contract. I work hard and I deserve to not have worry about food when I spend every day working to make ends meet. Janitors deserve more and together we can achieve a better future for ourselves and our families.”