LIFTING HIS SPIRITS
Boy, 4, loses both parents to Covid so relatives ask community to celebrate 5th birthday with drive-by parade
Israel Salas-Rodriguez
Nov 17 2020, 17:50 ET
Updated: Nov 17 2020, 17:50 ET
A FOUR-year-old boy who lost both his parents to Covid-19 will celebrate his 5th birthday with a community drive-by parade put together by his relatives.
Raiden Gonzalez, 4, lost both his parents due to Covid-19 complication, in October his mother died just four mother after the deadly virus killed his father.
Four-year-old Raiden Gonzalez lost both his parents due to coronavirus complicationsCredit: Facebook
"He misses his mom since he was a mama's boy," his grandmother, Rozie Salinas, told NBC News.
"Just this morning he told me that he wishes he had his mom back and he just wanted her back.
"I mean, what do I tell him? You know, so I just told him that they're now angels watching over us and protecting us," said Salinas, who was the mother of Mariah, the boy's mother.
However, with the boy's 5th birthday coming up on November 28, his relatives want to make it as bright as possible.
The boy lost his father in June and four months later his mother died of the same causeCredit: Facebook
Raiden will celebrate his 5th birthday on Nov. 28 without both his parentsCredit: Facebook
Margie Bryant, the boy's great-aunt, and Salinas have come up with an idea for a drive-by celebration, which she said now looks like it will be quite large.
The drive-by will be a "wave and roar" dinosaur-theme parade set on the boy's birthday.
A local fire department, a Batman entertainer, monster truck clubs, motorcycle clubs and classic car clubs are all set to participate in the parade.
"He likes dinosaurs, he likes monster trucks, he like Hot Wheels," Salinas said.
"But being that he picked the dinosaur theme for his birthday, he really liked it."
"It's a milestone birthday," Bryant told CNN.
"We just want him (Raiden) to know that we're going to be there for all of his birthdays and make sure he's celebrated, and I know my niece has the cheesiest grin because she knows her boy is in good hands."
Raiden's mother, Mariah, 29 died on Oct 5, and his father, Adan, died on June 26Credit: Facebook
Raiden's family organized a drive-by dinosaur theme parade for his birthday Credit: Facebook
The family's tragedy started when a co-worker of Raiden's dad, Adan, who was working as a truck driver, tested positive for the virus earlier this year, Salinas said.
A few days later, Adan was hospitalized after also testing positive on June 3.
Health care workers told the family that "he was one of the two sickest at the hospital," Salinas said.
The father died on June 26 at the age of 33.
Raiden's mother, Mariah, 29, who was still grieving the death of her husband died suddenly on Oct. 5, just hours after she had started feeling ill, Salinas said.
Days after her daughter's death, Salinas received a call from the hospital telling her Mariah had tested positive for the virus.
"Mariah wanted to do a memorial for Adan, but she never got to it," Salinas said.
The boy's grandmother, Rozie Salinas, said 'He misses his mom since he was a mama's boy'Credit: Facebook
The grandmother said she is planning on having a memorial for both her daughter and son-in-law after the holidays.
Bryant's wish for others is heed warning and take the coronavirus threat serious.
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"I can't say it enough… I know what it (coronavirus) has done to us, and I know the hurt that we feel, the void that it has left in our hearts, this little boy who doesn't have his mom and dad now," she said.
"You hear about the deaths, but you don't ever really hear about the people left behind, and in this instance, it's a 4-year-old."
Texas has reported the highest number of coronavirus cases of any state in the country, as the US is close to reaching 250,000 deaths.
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