Brothers lose both parents to coronavirus

HOUSTON, Texas — Nathan and Isaiah Garcia lost their mother in early July to COVID-19 and just 15 days later, the brothers lost their father who had been recovering from the virus.

“I didn’t get to say goodbye to my mom or my dad now, and that’s what hurt me the most right now,” Isaiah Garcia told KTRK.

Naomi Esquivel died on July 2, according her mother Rita Marquez-Mendoza told KTRK. At her funeral, Esquivel’s sons stood with their father, who two weeks later was hospitalized for kidney failure.

Garcia was unresponsive on July 17 and died from oxygen deprivation after being hospitalized for kidney failure one day earlier.

“We hadn’t even begun to grieve my daughter and now we have to bury Carlos and the grandchildren are left without a mom and a dad. This disease is just horrible,” Marquez-Mendoza told KTRK.

According to KTRK, Garcia and Esquivel, who had been married for 24 years, each had underlying health conditions.

14-year-old Isaiah Garcia said they are grateful to have family to help this during this time.

“At least, since [my father] passed, we get to be with our family. We don’t have to go to an orphanage or anything. I’d rather be here than anywhere else right now,” Isaiah told KTRK.

The family set up a GoFundMe account was initially set up to help pay for Garcia’s funeral but after a large donation, the account will now go to help pay for living expenses for the brothers.

Cox Media Group