In Memory of Juan Cortez: Funeral Support

It is with a heavy heart that we share the passing of my father Juan Cortez.

My dad was a loving father, husband, uncle, brother, son, friend, and talented musician.

My dad put up a long and hard fight until the very end. I hate losing my dad and am still struggling with it being real. My dad got diagnosed with diabetes when he was 27. By the time he was in his late 40s his A1c was great, but unfortunately the diabetes had done it's damage. In 2017 my dad was diagnosed with Kidney failure and would have to be on dialysis. Since then my dad battled with multiple amputations

(at different times), multiple hospital stays, handful of ambulance calls, multiple infections and sicknesses, broken femur causing him to no longer walk again, and many different varieties of death scares.

This past year I feel he was fighting his hardest: not only with the medical ailments that affected my father, but with his mental health as well. My dad dealt with depression and anxiety and it was getting worse along with his condition. I would keep him company and often talk to my dad on the phone, teaching him the coping skills I learned. It hit him harder when his dad ( my grandpa) passed in August.

My dad was one of my biggest supporters. He encouraged me on everything I was interested in. He passed on his love for music and movies. He even gave me some of his goofy humor.

I never expected that of all the emergency hospital visits, that this one, would be his last. From November through December he was fighting a stomach infection. The antibiotics were not strong enough and my mom had to call the ambulance the night before Christmas Eve. He was in ICU the entire time. I spent New Years eve with him so he wouldn't enter the new year alone. I had hope he would get better as he would before. We had a glimmer of hope as he was progressing for one brief moment. He was unresponsive for the rest of his time in ICU. On Jan 8th however, the only thing keeping my dad alive were the meds. He passed at 3:08. As hard as this was to endure, he looked at peace. No more fighting, no more losing limbs, no more pain. This unexpected loss was not something I was prepared for. The last message I have from my dad was checking in on me while I was sick and the last thing he said was my name .

As we navigate this difficult time, we are asking to help raise funds to help lay Juan to rest. This will help cover funeral services costs and after service costs ( i.e headstone) . We appreciate the support during this difficult time.