Help Silva family with their devastating loss

Gilberto Silva was a loving, kind, and honest husband, father, grandfather, brother, all around family man. Migrated from Peru to Southern California over 60 years ago with his brother, who unfortunately passed due to COVID in the summer, but they were the sole reason the family moved and continued building in the valley. Providing the Silva family a greater opportunity to grow, live, and love together. As careless as they come, the most loving, gentle soul one could meet, he fought for years, dealing with epilepsy, his hearing deteriorating throughout the years, later developing Congestive Heart Failure, which affected his stability, causing him to require a walker almost exclusively. But, no matter what life threw at home, no matter what challenges he faced with his health, he remained loving, courageous, and a true fighter. With this pandemic that continues looming over all of us, the many, many loved ones it affects, this wonderful man was unfortunately and quickly brought down by COVID-19. Almost overnight, a dry, minor cough had kicked in, which typically was brought on by his CHF, but then his breathing was slightly altering. Before we knew it, he had to be transported to the ER, intubated after a day, and his body fought until it could no more. While there was signs of hope, his untimely passing had all of us spiraling down in disbelief. He fought to the end. On New Years Eve, after 11 days of fighting just as he’s done through all his health issues, just after noon, he was pulled off the ventilator and had a peaceful departure.


To add to our family’s turmoil, Bertha Silva, his wife, who was equally as pure as he was, is following down the same road as him. With heart problems she’s endured through the years, a double bypass surgery in which she was out of ICU within a day back in 2010, and never let her age hold her back or down, almost simultaneously declined right before us. While she fought hard, taken into the hospital 2 days after Gilberto, the option was given to her daughter and grandson, of either staying in the hospital, or being able to come home albeit being provided the proper help (hospice), we knew we had to give her a fighting chance in the comfort of her own home. While she showed fight and resilience, she quickly deteriorated, from doing her best to eating and hydrating, to not having the strength to even swallow or lift her hand to take pills herself. As the days went, her oxygen increased from 1.5 liters to the maximum of 5. No eating, no drinking, and would no longer respond to us, becoming 100% bedridden and transitioning to end of life.


On January 2, 2021, their daughter Sandra and their grandson Ruben, dealing with these sudden, unfortunate circumstances, are facing what is becoming the 2 greatest losses a family unit could ever face. A cruel, tortuous waiting game they never could have expected this soon, this quickly, all in the span of the last 2 weeks.


This fundraiser is to assist Sandra and Ruben with the necessary arrangements for both funerals, moving expenses, and all other immediate bills and costs that are to come. Thank you to any and everyone who chooses to provide help for them.