A 4-year-old boy has suffered two great losses in 2020: losing both of his parents.
Raiden Gonzalez’s mom and dad both died from COVID-19 just months apart.
"Raiden being left behind, it's very hard," his grandmother, Rozie Salinas, who is now his primary caregiver, said.
His father, Adan, contracted the virus at work, his family told WJLA.
He tested positive on June 3 and was hospitalized on June 9.
"They did say he was one of the two sickest in the hospital," Salinas said.
He passed away a few weeks later on June 26 after spending a month in the ICU.
His mother, Mariah, was mourning the loss of her husband and best friend when she came down with COVID on October 5.
"She went via ambulance Monday evening around 9 and by 8:15 am Tuesday, she was gone," Raiden’s great aunt Margie Bryant explained.
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Raiden will forever have to deal with this unimaginable loss.
"He says he wants to talk like him, he wants to be like him," Bryant explained of Raiden’s connection to his late father.
Losing his mother has been even harder on him.
"A couple of days ago, he said he wishes he could bring her back," Bryant said.
Raiden will celebrate his fifth birthday on November 22, but family members said he’s “very upset” that his parents “are not here to celebrate with him.”
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The family hopes to make his birthday special by planning a drive-thru “roar and wave” parade for him.
“He loves firetrucks,” Bryant added.
They’ve asked that San Antonio locals join in on the drive-thru celebration to lift his spirits on November 28 at 4735 El Vedado.
There is also a GoFundMe set up for the family as they mourn the loss and try to pick up the pieces.
“This money will be used for any funeral/memorial expenses and anything Raiden and his Grandmother who is his caregiver may need now that they are both gone,” the fundraising page reads.
The family hopes that Mariah and Adan’s deaths aren’t in vain and that people realize the difficult effects COVID has on young children.
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They also want the story to inspire the community to heed measures put in place to slow the spread of the virus.
"We've lost two people now to COVID-19 and I can’t emphasize enough the severity, the seriousness and the hurt that this pandemic can cause, so wear your mask, be safe,” Bryant advised.
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