With any job, ‘you have something to look forward to’
The second in a six-part series. Today: Chad Chechak
For Chad Chechak, 31, of Mount Oliver, the news came from out of nowhere.
Mr. Chechak has been cleaning an office building in the Strip District since he was laid off from his job as a security guard in Oakland in November 2018. He had held that job for 10 years and earned a fixed-rate wage of $9 an hour.
Then, he received horrific news in late February of last year: His mother, Mercedes, had been diagnosed with breast cancer.
The diagnosis was stunning. “She felt ill one afternoon. We rushed her to the hospital because she was feeling fatigued, and she immediately got diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. She didn’t make it out of the hospital. She died in UPMC Mercy 10 days later,” he said.
Mr. Chechak said she was the rock of the family.
“It was me, my father, my brother and my mother that lived in the same house,” he said. “And when she passed away, everyone dispersed. So it was hard times. And that’s not even including the fact that right after mom died, my tax return got taken for college offset. So that really, really set me back.
“When you’re working, you have something to do. You have something to look forward to. Otherwise, you’re just going to sit in a house all day and just drift. [You get] mentally depressed. It’s sunny outside, really nice weather — and you’re just in the basement, sitting, because nothing’s opening up. I happened to stumble upon this job for housekeeping.
“I live with my brother now and I’ve lived with my parents, but I’ve
always intended to get my own place. I just never had the means of saving, because when I worked security, I was taking care of my family and now I don’t have that responsibility anymore, so this job has been really helpful.”
“My cleaning skills have gone way up since I started. And I’ve lost 20 more pounds. It’s actually healthy and it keeps me active. Now, weirdly, even when I’m in my own house, I’m like, ‘Oh, that microwave is looking a little dirty.’ Spritz, spritz, spritz. And I start to see dust on the floor and I’m, like, ‘Aah!’
“I’m slowly, slowly getting my happiness levels back up.”