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Eddie Barreto – BRONX 1 DSNY EMPLOYEE – Father of 6 is fighting for his life today in the ICU. He’s been through an incredible amount of trauma, but was eventually diagnosed with a stroke a few days after being admitted to the hospital on Saturday April 13th. He has locked-in syndrome; while he cannot move his body, he is able to communicate through facial expressions. His mind and personality are intact. On Wednesday April 17th, we were told my dad had now contracted MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) Pneumonia in his fragile state. He has been intubated since Saturday for breathing and feeding. This morning he is having a tracheostomy surgery to attach the tube on the outside of his neck for comfort. Our father is the strongest man I know. Through our limited communications he told us that he wants to fight and work his hardest to come back to us; he hasn’t given up.
While he is in the hospital, his oldest daughter Mandee is overseeing the family. Funding will go a long way in ensuring the family isn’t left penniless during this trying time.
The influx of love and support from the people that love my dad has been overwhelming in the best way possible. It warms my heart to see how many lives he has touched, and how many people love him just like we love him. He is the greatest man and father ever.
If you’d like to read more about our dad….continue below…
Why do bad things happen to good people? It’s an age-old question; one we will never learn the answer to. It’s a question we never wanted to find ourselves asking, and yet here we are. Have you met my dad? My dad is a BRONX 1 DSNY EMPLOYEE by night and real life super hero by day. Yes, you read right…my dad is a super hero. No, not the kind of super hero that you wouldn’t like “when he’s angry.” He didn’t hail from another planet, he’s never scaled a building, and his costume isn’t made of iron. But my dad has done amazing things. He always puts everyone before himself, he is self-sacrificing, and never asks for so much as a “thank you.” He’s pretty special. But like all super hero’s, he also has a weakness, a weakness that could tear him down and rip him away from us forever and is now battling for his life. --
Eddie Barreto, Ladies & Gentleman, father of 6, single father to 5. He had his first kid (Me) when he had just turned 19. Him and our mom got married and we were a family. My dad always wanted a lot of children and he got it! At such a young age, he worked tirelessly to provide for his family. We had a good life. Maybe we were broke, but we sure didn’t feel it. We were never left wanting, we were never hungry, we were never without clothes, or a roof over our head, and we were never jealous of the other kids. Our childhood was happy and full of love.
Our mom left when I was 16, Christina 13, Brittany 10, Amber 3, and Eddie had yet to turn 1. My dad went from a 2-income home to 1. It was hard, believe me. Let’s subtract the emotional damage, and all of the sadness my dad felt. We were still left with a cold hard financial reality. The oldest of us had to step up to the plate and help the best we could. My dad had to continue working Full Time and the youngest had no childcare, we could never afford it. I don’t know how he did it, but he did. We still were never left wanting. In fact, my dad is the type of man who never bought anything for himself. For Father’s Day, his birthday, Christmas (you name it), if he was given money…he bought something for his kids with it. My dad’s shoe’s would have holes in them before he ever dared dream of buying a new pair. When he did come around to replacing the shoes that were falling off his feet, he’d buy the cheapest pair he could find. He’s always been selfless and has put himself dead last.
It stayed like that for years. I would say a shining light during that time was having his girlfriend, Alexis. I didn’t like seeing my dad sad or alone, and she brought him happiness. They had another child together, our sister, Maria. As I mentioned, my dad loved children and she is another true blessing in his life. My dad and Alexis are still together and she’s been lovingly by his side every step of the way.
He worked at Beth Israel and kept the job because he had benefits that were vital to his family, but he knew it wouldn’t be enough. He applied for the Department of Sanitation. This was the doorway to bigger things, he thought. This was the way he could provide for his family. When he finally got the call to come in, he was so incredibly happy. Things were finally coming together. He took a deep pay cut by accepting the job, but he knew there was more opportunity with DSNY, he would eventually make more, and that they would take care of him. Even better, he could finally buy a house…one day. That was my dad’s ultimate dream. We didn’t love the idea of him working 12am-8am shifts, but he said it was what he needed to do. He would work overnight and have the day to cook, clean, and care for his children. This is the type of man my father is. If we had our way, we would all have been making enough money to ensure that he didn’t have to work. Oh how I wish that was something we were in a place to do. He worked extremely hard and was looking forward to putting in his time for DSNY and finally retiring. I think to date he may have made it 7-8 years.
My dad always worried, but never about himself. He worried about my brother and sister making it to school on time. He worried about us when were sick (yes, he’d even worry himself over me and I’m now 31 years old). He worried about all his babies. He worried about making rent on time. My father and siblings live in NYCHA. It’s a move he made to help make ends meet. It was a way to ensure rent was controlled. I wish I could say that was the case. NYCHA made my dad’s life even harder. The apartment had (I’m sorry…has) so much damage, so many dangers, and unlivable conditions. The building promises to fix things, but they never do. So he worries about the risks it poses to his kids that live there. They’ve been left without water, then left without electricity in most the unit to this day. Amazingly enough, they would continue to raise the rent to the point of him not being able to afford it. He would fall behind and then they’d take him to court to pay thousands of dollars. My dad always did. He always found a way. He’s pleaded to NYCHA for help, but it’s a cold system devoid of compassion. I’m not sure how they allowed things to get this way for him, but they did. My 15-year old brother turned to me yesterday wondering if he and my sisters would be homeless. He was sure, that even with my dad off the-lease, in ICU…they would not lower the rent and would threaten to kick them out. It hurts to hear that a system set in place to help the less fortunate could hurt my family so much. I of course, won’t let that happen, but that’s a battle for another day.
My dad has spent a lifetime worrying about his kids and finances. We want him to know that we are taken care of. We want him to focus his energies on getting better. This is what my dad deserves. My dad is a super hero and he is fighting for his life. He told me that he wants to live. He told me that he wants to try. Our dad would give you the shirt off of his back in the middle of winter if you told him you were cold. We appreciate all of the love, care, and support.
While he is in the hospital, his oldest daughter Mandee is overseeing the family. Funding will go a long way in ensuring the family isn’t left penniless during this trying time.
The influx of love and support from the people that love my dad has been overwhelming in the best way possible. It warms my heart to see how many lives he has touched, and how many people love him just like we love him. He is the greatest man and father ever.
If you’d like to read more about our dad….continue below…
Why do bad things happen to good people? It’s an age-old question; one we will never learn the answer to. It’s a question we never wanted to find ourselves asking, and yet here we are. Have you met my dad? My dad is a BRONX 1 DSNY EMPLOYEE by night and real life super hero by day. Yes, you read right…my dad is a super hero. No, not the kind of super hero that you wouldn’t like “when he’s angry.” He didn’t hail from another planet, he’s never scaled a building, and his costume isn’t made of iron. But my dad has done amazing things. He always puts everyone before himself, he is self-sacrificing, and never asks for so much as a “thank you.” He’s pretty special. But like all super hero’s, he also has a weakness, a weakness that could tear him down and rip him away from us forever and is now battling for his life. --
Eddie Barreto, Ladies & Gentleman, father of 6, single father to 5. He had his first kid (Me) when he had just turned 19. Him and our mom got married and we were a family. My dad always wanted a lot of children and he got it! At such a young age, he worked tirelessly to provide for his family. We had a good life. Maybe we were broke, but we sure didn’t feel it. We were never left wanting, we were never hungry, we were never without clothes, or a roof over our head, and we were never jealous of the other kids. Our childhood was happy and full of love.
Our mom left when I was 16, Christina 13, Brittany 10, Amber 3, and Eddie had yet to turn 1. My dad went from a 2-income home to 1. It was hard, believe me. Let’s subtract the emotional damage, and all of the sadness my dad felt. We were still left with a cold hard financial reality. The oldest of us had to step up to the plate and help the best we could. My dad had to continue working Full Time and the youngest had no childcare, we could never afford it. I don’t know how he did it, but he did. We still were never left wanting. In fact, my dad is the type of man who never bought anything for himself. For Father’s Day, his birthday, Christmas (you name it), if he was given money…he bought something for his kids with it. My dad’s shoe’s would have holes in them before he ever dared dream of buying a new pair. When he did come around to replacing the shoes that were falling off his feet, he’d buy the cheapest pair he could find. He’s always been selfless and has put himself dead last.
It stayed like that for years. I would say a shining light during that time was having his girlfriend, Alexis. I didn’t like seeing my dad sad or alone, and she brought him happiness. They had another child together, our sister, Maria. As I mentioned, my dad loved children and she is another true blessing in his life. My dad and Alexis are still together and she’s been lovingly by his side every step of the way.
He worked at Beth Israel and kept the job because he had benefits that were vital to his family, but he knew it wouldn’t be enough. He applied for the Department of Sanitation. This was the doorway to bigger things, he thought. This was the way he could provide for his family. When he finally got the call to come in, he was so incredibly happy. Things were finally coming together. He took a deep pay cut by accepting the job, but he knew there was more opportunity with DSNY, he would eventually make more, and that they would take care of him. Even better, he could finally buy a house…one day. That was my dad’s ultimate dream. We didn’t love the idea of him working 12am-8am shifts, but he said it was what he needed to do. He would work overnight and have the day to cook, clean, and care for his children. This is the type of man my father is. If we had our way, we would all have been making enough money to ensure that he didn’t have to work. Oh how I wish that was something we were in a place to do. He worked extremely hard and was looking forward to putting in his time for DSNY and finally retiring. I think to date he may have made it 7-8 years.
My dad always worried, but never about himself. He worried about my brother and sister making it to school on time. He worried about us when were sick (yes, he’d even worry himself over me and I’m now 31 years old). He worried about all his babies. He worried about making rent on time. My father and siblings live in NYCHA. It’s a move he made to help make ends meet. It was a way to ensure rent was controlled. I wish I could say that was the case. NYCHA made my dad’s life even harder. The apartment had (I’m sorry…has) so much damage, so many dangers, and unlivable conditions. The building promises to fix things, but they never do. So he worries about the risks it poses to his kids that live there. They’ve been left without water, then left without electricity in most the unit to this day. Amazingly enough, they would continue to raise the rent to the point of him not being able to afford it. He would fall behind and then they’d take him to court to pay thousands of dollars. My dad always did. He always found a way. He’s pleaded to NYCHA for help, but it’s a cold system devoid of compassion. I’m not sure how they allowed things to get this way for him, but they did. My 15-year old brother turned to me yesterday wondering if he and my sisters would be homeless. He was sure, that even with my dad off the-lease, in ICU…they would not lower the rent and would threaten to kick them out. It hurts to hear that a system set in place to help the less fortunate could hurt my family so much. I of course, won’t let that happen, but that’s a battle for another day.
My dad has spent a lifetime worrying about his kids and finances. We want him to know that we are taken care of. We want him to focus his energies on getting better. This is what my dad deserves. My dad is a super hero and he is fighting for his life. He told me that he wants to live. He told me that he wants to try. Our dad would give you the shirt off of his back in the middle of winter if you told him you were cold. We appreciate all of the love, care, and support.
Co-organizers6
Eddie Barreto
Co-organizer
Nick Padilla
Co-organizer
Brittany Anne Barreto
Co-organizer
Amber Barreto
Co-organizer