Raiden Gonzalez of San Antonio, Texas is preparing for his first birthday without his parents. His mother and father died from COVID-19 only months apart from each other.

Raiden's father, Adan, was exposed to the virus at work on June 3 and hospitalized on June 9. He died June 26 after a month in intensive care. Raiden's mother, Mariah, although dealing with a heavy heart from their lose, was by all accounts healthy until she checked herself into their local hospital on October 26 and passed away the next morning.

Being a parent of two kids, Elijah (13) and Khloe (10), I can't imagine leaving them without their parents. It breaks my heart to think of that possibility. Also, loving both my parents, even though I'm 41 years old now, it would crush my soul if both of them passed away from COVID-19. I can't even begin to imagine how that would affect me if I was a four-year-old boy.

The sad moral of all the stories we have heard since the outbreak of the coronavirus is to never take your relationships for granted and let the family and friends you care about know you love them. Because unfortunately, you never know if you have tomorrow to tell them.

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