Miguel Alvarez was a stay-at-home dad, but he got a minimum-wage job at the Valley Springs nursing home to make extra money to buy Christmas presents for his kids. Three weeks into the job, the state suspended the nursing home’s operating license. The entire staff, including management, walked off the job, abandoning the elderly and mentally ill residents. It was just Miguel and Maurice the cook. For two days they worked tirelessly, trying to diaper, feed and medicate the residents—taking turns napping in the TV room. Miguel tearfully recounted the screams for food and medicine. After repeatedly calling none-one-one, firefighters and the county Sheriff’s Department evacuated the residents. Miguel only wished they could’ve done more, even though he never received a paycheck. What a hero.
