By now, you’ve surely heard about the TikTok video that recently went viral featuring a man cruising on a skateboard, singing along with Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams”, and drinking from a bottle of Ocean Spray’s Cran-Raspberry juice. For Nathan Apodaca, it was just another day commuting to his job of almost 20 years working in a potato warehouse. He had no idea what kind of response he would get from his video, let alone that it would go viral and have over 35 million views.
It’s been an inspiring video for many people in a time when everything seems like it’s going wrong. But, what we didn’t know about this man’s life was that since his truck broke down last month, he’s been using his only mode of transportation, his skateboard, to get to work. He’s also been living in a trailer without running water, having to go to his brother’s house to shower and use the bathroom.
As part of the fame that comes with making a viral video, Ocean Spray has given Nathan Apodaca a brand-new truck and a bunch of bottles of Cran-Raspberry juice, and fan donations are helping him put a down payment on a house. These are all improvements to his life, but wouldn’t have been possible without him creating a TikTok video that went viral.
For someone that has been working in agriculture, laboring to provide the food we all eat, living with basic human dignity like running water and safe transportation shouldn’t be a dream – it needs to be a reality for all.
