In a matter of days, a San Antonio boy will turn 5 after losing both his mother and father to COVID-19 within months of each other.
Raiden Gonzalez’s mother, Mariah, died in October after contracting COVID-19. Her husband, Adan, died while being treated for a coronavirus infection this summer.
Raiden Gonzalez’s story grabbed nation attention through an NBC News report. Relatives have started a GoFundMe account to cover memorial services for his mother and to cover childcare expenses.
“He misses his mom since he was a mama’s boy,” Raiden’s grandmother, Rozie Salinas, told NBC Saturday. “Just this morning he told me that he wishes he had his mom back and he just wanted her back.”
She added: “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.”
Even though she’s still in mourning, Salinas told NBC she’s planning for Raiden’s birthday on November 28. She and relatives will hold a drive-by celebration, details of which are posted on the GoFundMe account.
By midmorning Sunday, more than 660 people have contributed a total of almost $27,000 to the fundraiser.
Stay on top of San Antonio news and views. Sign up for our Weekly Headlines Newsletter.
This article appears in Nov 7-17, 2020.
