Grate Escape—Part II

July 11, 2026

I wanted to be a sixth-generation Sandhog. I grew up hearing so many stories from the people in my family who helped build the veins of this city. Some of the stories were passed down from a hundred years ago, when my great-great-great-grandpa Patrick worked on the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge.

The spring before my great-great-grandpa was born, Patrick’s buddy John died of Caissons Disease. He named my great-great-grandpa after John and every son after him was named John, too. My dad was John IV and I would have been the fifth, but I became Patty III (after my aunt Patricia, my dad’s twin sister, and my great-great-great-grandpa Patrick).

All of our family’s Sandhogs knew a construction project really well. Patrick I, as I already mentioned, worked on the Brooklyn Bridge. John I was part of the 1906 Tunnel Workers Strike and worked on the Joralemon Street Tunnel. He was deafened on the job. John II worked on Lincoln Tunnel #1. John III worked on City Tunnel #3. He was deafened on the job. My dad and aunt worked on City Tunnel #3 for a little while, but Patty died on the job. My dad was deafened during the accident that took my aunt’s life and his legs.

I’ve been taking care of my dad with my partner since my twenties.