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2017toughcookieawards.eventbrite.com giveforgoodlouisville.org 96 LOUISVILLE MAGAZINE 7.17 It started with Fields' father asking, "Are you going to go to school or to work?" Fields, then 19 years old, thought of his Western Kentucky University football schol- arship, the boredom he felt with school. Pops said, "Get up and put your clothes on at 5 a.m." e next day, rendering. Guts up to his waist, pitching guts into bins. Fields knew it stunk — the smell his pops brought home with him, how he'd need to shower with baking soda to rid of it — but, Lord! at night, at home, Fields thought, "Do I really want to do this?" en: "Work is work." He once lost an index fingertip while working in sanitation. "When we used to clean up the departments, we didn't have any masks or eye protection," he says. "We'd be spraying bleach or acid. We'd take a wet rag and tie it around our faces." Last day and Fields reflects. If he could go back and do anything different, he'd go to the day JBS was short-staffed and pulled him to work the kill floor, where he hadn't stepped in eight or so years. Would take back picking up that fallen hog with his hook, slipping in a pool of blood, messing up his hip, which he thinks lead to his back problems. (ough worker's compensation doesn't.) Last day and Fields looks forward, down the line. If and when he gets his back fixed, he'd like to travel with his wife. She has always wanted to go to Hawaii. He'll take care of his family. His 91-year-old mom has Alzheimer's. Fields runs into Rico, one of his best workers. Fields says, "Hey! Good to see you, man! God bless you! Good to see you brother. It's my last day." ey hug, and Rico says, "Last day?" Fields says, "Yeah, they're letting me go. But hang in there! Take care of yourself! You should be a boss by now, what are you doing? "Nah, they told me to wait a couple months. Went over to rendering, man." "You're young. Learn all you can learn. Help somebody. Like I told you, bring somebody up that ladder. at's what you young people got to work on. Always some- body to bring up with you. Reach down and pick them up. Good things will come to you. Got to wait, though." "is your last day?" "Yeah, this is it. Been a good journey. But don't feel bad for me. It's your day to shine." Fields picks up his coat. "I got to get up out of here," he says. "Got to wake up early and try to get some unemployment. If that doesn't work out, I might be outside of your house with an empty cup."