Emilio Nares would have turned 30 years old Monday. For his parents, Diane and Richard, his birthdays are sacred. They don’t make specific plans on Jan. 6, they let the day take them where they need to go. They spending time reflecting on his life and their life together.
Their birthday traditions include practicing yoga, meditating and walking near their Mission Hills home through Pioneer Park, a special place where they would take daily walks with Emilio, their only child. He passed away in 2000, just shy of his sixth birthday, three years after being diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
“We wonder who this beautiful, wise young child would turn out to be as a 30-year-old man,” Diane said. “The missed opportunities are probably the most painful part of all.”
“But we pause to remember that he is with us every day and continues to be. We feel him within us, we dream about him and his presence is very much alive in our lives.”
