Latest / Yes And Land / Encanto and Losing Everything | James Alvarez on Finding Purpose

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Encanto and Losing Everything | James Alvarez on Finding Purpose · Yes And Land

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I remember that moment when really my life change
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was just a regular Tuesday, like today. And I
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remember something's missing, but you don't know
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what it is, but you just go throughout your day.
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And that's how I felt that day. When we found
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out that it was going to be a girl, we knew she
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was going to be the princess of both households.
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We lost it. I was like, I can't believe I'm going
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to be a daddy's girl, right? Seeing her in those
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tubes fighting for her life really destroyed
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me. But it was the strength that I needed. I
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saw her in that bed as she's progressing in a
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positive way. And I'm like, this little girl
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is fighting for her life to be here. I need to
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do the same. I need to fight to be here for her.
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I wanted to be a father. This is my time to shine.
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And I think that's why I resonate more with Casita
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because I always felt this energy. And I don't
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know if it's her present, my late wife present,
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always guiding me. When I notice like butterflies
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or a hummingbird, you know, and I always be like,
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that's her. That's her checking in on us. I could
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get through this. Yeah. She has my back. Welcome
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to Yes And Land. where we say yes to the reality
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of yesterday and today, and we say and to the
1:25
possibility, growth, and imagination of tomorrow.
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All right, welcome to another episode of Yes
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and Land. We are very excited today because we
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are talking with somebody who has a very inspiring
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story of overcoming grief and loss. And there's
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also, of course, as we always do, there's a Disney
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tie -in, but a real -life Disney tie -in for
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James and for the things he's experienced with
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his family. He's a real inspiration to many,
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many people. He's got quite the following online
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because so many people connect with this story
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that we can all relate to. We all have loss and
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grief that we experience in our lives. And the
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strength that James has showed is he's overcome
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the loss that he'll talk about more in detail
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today. Again, it's very inspiring. So, James,
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welcome to the program. Thank you. Thank you
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for having me. Looking forward to. Telling my
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story and sharing with your audience. Yeah. And
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I can already tell, right? We can already see
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the Disney -ness with you because you've got
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your snow white shirt on. You're repping today.
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So appreciate that. And looks like a beautiful,
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beautiful place that you're there too. You're
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in California, right? Absolutely. Not so far
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away from Disneyland. How long of a drive? How
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long of a drive to get to Disneyland for you?
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I would say, depending on LA traffic, I reside
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in L .A. Depending on L .A. traffic, it could
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take from 40 minutes to even up to two hours.
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But it has never stopped me from going. You've
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got to go at the right time, right? A lot of
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times when we go to Disneyland, we'll fly into
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LAX. So we've got to have that commute over.
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We try to make sure we avoid that happening during
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rush hour in the morning or the afternoon. Because
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otherwise, it can end up being those two hours.
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And that's the last thing you want, right? Get
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to Disneyland faster. Yeah, it's dreadful. But
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you know what? Once you're there, once you're
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at the park, you forget about all your worries
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and you kind of enjoy it and a little escape
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from reality. Right. So it's beautiful. You know,
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that's what I love about Disney. You know, it
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just it gives me the opportunity to kind of escape
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from all the troubles, all the stress, you know,
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all my feelings, you know, even if I'm down or.
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and just kind of leave that behind and just be
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able to enjoy the moment. But most importantly
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now, having children, enjoying the moment with
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them. It's this nostalgia that always brings
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you back to living your childhood memories, right?
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For sure. And then you kind of reminisce those
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beautiful memories. And now that you have children,
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Now it's your job to do the same for them, right?
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Now it's your opportunity to kind of embed those
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beautiful memories in them. So to me, it's so
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special because it's like I'm reliving it again.
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Because it's like I'm reliving it through them.
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And I love that. So it's just like, man, you
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know, like. This is where I this is what I used
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to this is my first ride or this is where I used
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to get my favorite churro. And then just, you
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know, telling the kids and then the kids get
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excited and then they're excited, too. They're
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like, oh, my gosh, can't wait to have a churro
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or, you know, I can't wait to ride the Dumbo
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ride, you know. So those little memories, it's
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it's it's beautiful because I get to relive it
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again. Yeah, for sure. So so what I've heard
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you kind of referencing is kind of this nostalgia
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from childhood. So did you grow up going to Disneyland?
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You know what? I grew up in a Mexican family.
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You know, it's unfortunately, there weren't the
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type of family that had passes and we used to
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go often. You know, it was more of like at least
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once a year, but at least we went a year. Right.
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So we were we were thankful for that. So I remember
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I even have a picture of my first time that I
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went. I was one years old. I remember that. picture
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of myself and that was at that time when thriller
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was going on because i swear i had the little
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michael jackson red latex suit at disney you
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know but that's beautiful you know that that
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they gave me the opportunity to experience it
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and then yeah we would go like every year and
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i remember there was a time that uh they used
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to give out free tickets for your birthday And
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I used to take advantage of that. And I used
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to go out for my birthday. And yes, I pretty
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much grew up with Disney, watching their cartoons.
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I wanted to be an animator. You wanted to be
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an animator. Yeah, so I actually wanted to be
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an animator. So I used to watch, I used to grow
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up, you know, like wake up every morning and
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watch Disney cartoons. I mean, you're talking,
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I'm not talking about. uh mickey's clubhouse
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i'm talking about the original steamboat willie
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uh you know uh mickey's the silly symphony you
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were watching the old ones yes i like the throwbacks
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like the originals like that hand that hand -drawn
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uh original selves you know like i watched that
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and i grew up watching that and i always wanted
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to be an animator because those cartoons made
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me so happy that for me it was like i want to
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bring that happiness to a kid i want to be able
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to to uh give that that feeling that i had when
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watching these cartoons to a kid in my generation
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so i was like i always want to be an animator
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and i used to i went to school i did all that
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um unfortunately i took a different route you
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know went to the medical uh field uh did you
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what did you study what did you study to go in
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the medical field I'm actually in the ultrasound
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tech. So, yes. Yeah. Ultrasound. Yeah. It's so
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different. But you know what? I love it because
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I love to help. I love to help the community
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as much possible. And for me, it was just helping
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somebody, you know, it means a lot to me. And
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even though I do ultrasound, I still dabble a
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little bit. I still draw. I help the kids with
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their projects. You know, I love, you know, sometimes
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when we go out to dinner and. get a chance i'll
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scribble like a little cartoon uh on the receipt
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uh with my signature on it and kind of you know
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give give the the waitress or the waiter um a
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little uh happen happiness note or picture you
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know so i dabble a little bit here and there
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but yeah i haven't i haven't lost i haven't lost
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the the the touch of of drawing i still love
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it it's still in my head so you um you finished
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high school you go do some schooling you become
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an ultrasound tech when when uh when did you
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end up getting married what did that look like
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and and uh kind of walk us through that yeah
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well that's where i actually met uh my my late
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wife that's where i actually met her in in in
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uh ultrasound school so she was going to ultrasound
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school as well um i was a little bit shy and
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really focused on my uh My schooling. So I was
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really determined to finish school. I wanted
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to, you know, just have something, a degree.
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Right. So I was really focused. I really didn't
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talk to her. I knew she was in classes and I
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see her around school, but I never really get
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a chance to talk to her. I talked to her finally
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when I graduated. She was still going to school.
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I graduated and I messaged her on Facebook. We
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just started hitting it off and started hanging
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out. And next thing led to another. And we decided
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we wanted to take that next step of getting married,
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you know, doing things right. You know, so we
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were dating for two years. We wanted to make
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sure everything was correct in our end, you know,
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before moving in and, you know, having kids and
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stuff like that. So we did it the correct way.
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Like, you know, our parents really loved that.
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We asked for their blessings. They gave it to
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us. We got engaged. We started living together,
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set up for the wedding, and we got married. It
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was a beautiful wedding. So what was her name?
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Her name was Yesenia Aguilar. So Yesenia, so
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you and Yesenia, you meet kind of this at school,
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kind of as you're kind of finishing. You guys
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date is really hitting off. You get engaged.
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Did she have a love for Disney at that time?
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Did she have any Disney ties? Well, yeah. Well,
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the thing was, she lived in Anaheim, so she lived
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very close to to Disney and. She didn't have
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the. The chances that go as often, you know,
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she used to go like here and there, you know,
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when she had family that worked there. But when
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we started dating, she started going to school.
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So she she went to ultrasound school to kind
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of get it, get a degree. But it wasn't her passion.
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Her passion was to do hair, to do cosmetology.
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So I kind of pushed her to do that. So when we
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started dating, I kind of told her, like, you
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know, do follow your dreams, like do what you
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will make you happy. Don't do something that's
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going to pay you bill, pay your bills. You know,
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like if you love what you do, you can still pay
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your bills, too. But if you don't do something
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that you don't love, then it's going to it's
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it's going to kill the joy in life. You know,
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so do something that you love. So she just decided
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to go to back to school. And at that time with
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school, you know, it was hard to find a job that's
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flexible with their school schedule. So I told
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her, hey, I know Disney will work with you and
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will be happy to kind of or be happy to support
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you while you're going to school. So, yeah, she
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applied and she became a cast member. She was
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at she actually worked main gate. So she was
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handling tickets and scanning people in and stuff
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like that. So she. That's her tie in. And for
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me, it was a benefit because I get to go to Disney
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for free. Yeah, it was great. It was it was a
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great. Yeah. So she she became to love Disney
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as much as I did by working there. Yeah, and
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they – I mean I think it's well -documented that
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cast members generally speaking just really,
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really love working for Disney. I watched one
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of the specials. They had done I think originally
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on 2020 and now it's showing on Disney+. And
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they were talking with Josh Gad who of course
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played Olaf and they let him go be the Jungle
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Cruise skipper for a day. And he was just talking
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about how just walking around the park and getting
12:35
exposed to different cast members, how much the
12:37
cast members loved being there, no matter what
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their role was. Right. Like any role that a cast
12:43
member had, that there's just such joy that they're
12:47
bringing to other people and helps them also
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have joy as a cast member. Yeah, it was beautiful.
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It was beautiful to see her work there because,
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you know, she was a very quiet person. And being
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there kind of helped her open up and she made
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a lot of friends. And even after what happened,
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a lot of cast members reached out to me and was
13:13
there for me. And I remember telling me stories
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about their interactions with her. And we'll
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definitely get into that. But it was very beautiful
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to hear. uh, such loving and caring hearts that
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work at Disney. And that's why I believe that
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what makes Disney so magical, you know, when
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you go to Disneyland and it's, it's not all about
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the rides and the food and, and, uh, clothes
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and everything that you go for, but it's the
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people that work there that makes it truly special.
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Yeah. They, they definitely bring it, bring it
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home. They make it more real. It's, uh, yeah,
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it's really something special. So she's working
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there as a cast member, working the main gate.
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When did she stop working? Because I think this
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was right – this was before or right before COVID
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when COVID shut down Disneyland. Is that right?
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Yeah, that was in the – that was pretty much
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it. Yeah, she was furloughed because of COVID.
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That's when it was like they're shutting out
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everything. For the first time, they shut down
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Disneyland, which was crazy to find out. You
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know, that was a big shocker for us because I
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believe the only time they ever closed out before
14:32
was 9 -11. And to hear that they were closing
14:37
down, it was it was a shocker to all of us. And
14:40
then when we found out that, you know, she was
14:43
going to foreload, which kind of was perfect.
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I would say it was perfect timing in a sense,
14:48
because. That was a time when we found that she
14:56
was pregnant. So it was a beautiful time. I would
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say... Sorry, the rigged camera. It's picking
15:20
me up. At that time, we found out. She knew how
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bad I wanted to be a father. I always wanted
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to be a father. We tried. It never really happened.
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I think what changed the most was when we changed
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our mindset. I remember one day we were talking
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about it and after many attempts and you know,
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late, uh, was it, uh, uh, warnings that we thought
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that she was and found out there wasn't, you
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know, so many attempts, I would say. Uh, how
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long, how long did you guys try before you were
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over a year? Um, yeah. Yeah. So over a year,
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uh, we tried, um, And it just wasn't happening.
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So we kind of changed our thoughts. We were just
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like, you know what? Hey, if, you know, we're
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not blessed with a child, as long as we have
16:32
each other, then that's what we need. That's
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all we need. You know, we have our family here.
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If we're not blessed with the kids, then this
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is our family. Just you and me. And then once
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we changed that mentality, man, right away, like,
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I remember. she was late and that she was getting
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like nauseous all the time, but I didn't want
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to like, I was kind of like, maybe she is right.
16:59
And, but I didn't want to say anything because
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yeah, I didn't want to say anything. Cause you
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know, there's many times that I like she was
17:07
late and then I'm like, Oh my gosh, she's pregnant.
17:09
And then she finally was like, Oh no, no, I got
17:13
my period. And I'm like, dang. So then, um, this
17:16
time she was like, I'm late and she was nauseous.
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And I'm like, No, I'm going to wait for her to
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tell me. I don't want to get my whole tie. I'm
17:23
just going to let it be. Right. But it was so
17:25
funny because even my parents noticed it. Like,
17:27
man, she's like got to the restaurant with throw
17:29
up like a couple of times. It was something she
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ate. And I'm like, I don't know. Could be. And
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then I remember one Thursday, I know it was like
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her dad's birthday was coming up and she just
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spontaneously just. told me she's like come to
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the room i need to tell you something i'm like
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okay what's wrong what's wrong and then she shows
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me the slip for the doctor where it said like
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she was pregnant and i started uh crying i started
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bawling i remember i was like i can't believe
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uh this is really happening like i'm actually
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gonna be a father you know like she knew how
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bad i wanted this and What was that emotion?
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Talk me through what that emotion was. So you've
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been wanting to for so long. You didn't want
18:12
to get your hopes up too much. She comes to you
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and you finally know you're a father. What are
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the emotions you're experiencing when that happened?
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It was joy. I feel like it was that emotional
18:27
moment because we tried so hard and I felt like
18:32
we were going to just give up on that. And to
18:34
find out, like, we were blessed to be a father.
18:37
Like, you know, I was kind of already getting
18:39
adjusted that, like, I'll never be a father.
18:42
Like, I just might not never have kids. And to
18:45
find out that we're having one on the way and
18:49
really kind of, it was speech, I couldn't put
18:58
in words, but it was just, it was so emotional
19:01
to find out that, you know. finally god answered
19:04
my prayers and i could finally be that father
19:07
that i always wanted to be and that i could be
19:09
it was truly great grateful feeling yeah and
19:15
And so, I mean, I just I can imagine. Right.
19:17
And I have I have four kids. And so I can I can
19:20
relate in the sense that, like, you know, it's
19:23
it's this joy. It's this relief. It's this anticipation,
19:27
sometimes a little bit of fear because we all
19:30
want to be good parents and being a parent's
19:32
a lot. And so there's a little bit of that. So
19:34
you guys are kind of going through, you know,
19:36
her being pregnant and then, you know, walk us
19:39
through leading up to kind of that that kind
19:41
of fateful day. Yeah. So like you mentioned,
19:48
you know, parenting can be tough. We wanted to
19:53
prepare as much possible. You know, being a first
19:55
time parent, you know, we're the ones that were
19:57
like reading books and listening to what the
20:00
doctor is telling us and just following directions
20:03
and trying to eat healthy and just try to be
20:07
the best parents possibly to welcoming this baby.
20:11
When we found out there was a baby girl, that's
20:14
where I lost it. And her side of the family had
20:20
all boys, all boys. Her older sister had all
20:24
boys. So it was dominated by boys. My side of
20:29
the family, my parents, they didn't have any
20:32
grandkids. This was the first grandkid. So regardless,
20:35
when we found out there was going to be a girl.
20:38
we knew she was going to be the princess of both
20:40
households. Guaranteed. She's going to be the
20:44
one running the show, right? And when we found
20:48
out it was a baby girl, we lost it. I was like,
20:52
I can't believe I'm going to be a daddy's girl,
20:56
right? I'm going to be a girl dad. To me, that
20:59
was a beautiful feeling. Beautiful feeling. So
21:04
we definitely took advantage of making sure that
21:08
Our baby girl was coming into this world with
21:11
the best atmosphere, the best energy, the best
21:15
everything possible. So we took it very heavily.
21:21
So the doctor did tell us, hey, you know, in
21:25
order to have a quick and successful delivery,
21:29
you know, walk, right? Walk. So we started walking
21:32
every single day. At that time, we were living
21:35
in Anaheim. There was a neighborhood because
21:39
we lived in a kind of like a townhouse complex.
21:43
And behind us was like a residential area. So
21:47
we used to walk a lot in that residential area.
21:49
And we always wrote with Feminist. We always
21:51
talk about different topics of our dream home
21:55
and looking at homes and what kind of car we
21:59
should be driving and how to raise our daughter.
22:05
Disney. I mean, we talked about everything and
22:07
we loved that. I believe those were the times
22:09
that we connected more, more deeply. And I remember
22:17
that moment when really my my life change was
22:20
just a regular Tuesday like today. I remember
22:25
at that time was still COVID going on, but I
22:28
worked for a company that worked for the banks.
22:31
So we were allowed to work. at the office. So
22:36
I would go to the office to work. And I remember
22:38
a little off that day. I don't know. It was like
22:42
that something that something's missing, but
22:44
you don't know what it is. But you just go throughout
22:47
your day. And that's how I felt that day. I remember
22:51
my colleagues knew how excited I was. for these
23:01
babies to be born, my baby girl to arrive, that
23:05
they threw a little baby shower thing in my cubicle.
23:09
And they had, I still have a picture of it, like
23:11
all the decorations and gifts and all this stuff
23:15
because they knew how excited I was to be a father.
23:18
But still, I felt a little off that day. I don't
23:22
know what it was. And I would check in, see how
23:26
she's doing, how she's feeling. And I remember
23:28
she was telling me, she's like, I'm doing well.
23:30
I'm doing well. I'm OK. I'm OK. I'm like, OK.
23:34
And I remember driving home and I told her, I
23:37
was like, hey, would you like to go on a walk
23:39
and then maybe have dinner afterwards? Or do
23:42
you want to have dinner and then go walk? Because
23:44
that was our thing, you know, either dinner and
23:46
walk or walk and have dinner. And she's like,
23:49
no, let's go. Let's go walk. Like, I want to
23:50
go look at a store and kind of check out some
23:53
blinds for the baby's room. I'm like, OK, that's
23:56
perfect. So. There's a shopping center right
23:58
by us. We'll go that direction and we'll wrap
24:01
around and end up at the end at the residential
24:04
area and just come home. And she's like, perfect.
24:06
So when I got home, I know she was waiting for
24:08
me at the sofa. And I could tell she wasn't feeling
24:14
well, but she still had the courage to go walking,
24:17
which later I found out from her mom that she
24:21
had really, really bad morning sickness that
24:24
day. And she was not feeling well at all. But,
24:27
yeah, she still had the strength to, like, continue
24:31
our daily routine. And I remember walking a different
24:35
route. And we went to the store. We didn't find
24:39
anything we liked. And we're like, let's just
24:41
walk home. So we cut through the shopping center.
24:44
And we were walking down. If people are familiar
24:49
with the area, we were going eastbound down Cotella.
24:54
really close by to Disneyland. So we're by Cotella
24:57
and Euclid. So we're going eastbound down Cotella.
25:03
We hear a screeching sound of a vehicle, like
25:07
losing control. We both turn around, facing westbound.
25:11
We see this vehicle just lose control and hop
25:14
onto this sidewalk, a sidewalk that we're literally
25:19
standing facing us. As it was going like this,
25:24
moving towards our direction. Where we're standing,
25:29
we're standing in front of like this insurance
25:32
agency office. But in front of us was the shopping
25:37
center. So there was like a Taco Bell. There's
25:40
like a Burger King. There's so many things that
25:43
could have stopped this vehicle from going towards
25:49
us. It didn't hit up. It missed the pool. It
25:52
missed the power box. It missed the Taco Bell
25:55
sign. It missed a brick wall. But yet it was
26:02
so out of control, still going towards us. And
26:06
being a gentleman that I am, I always would stand
26:11
between the street and her. And even being a
26:16
gentleman could not stop what was going to happen.
26:19
this vehicle structure as i was holding her hand
26:23
as we're facing this vehicle and it's crazy because
26:27
people always say it's like your life flashes
26:31
in front of you it really does it flashes in
26:35
front of you and it makes you realize like this
26:37
is your end this is how your story ends and and
26:44
to me was like i can't believe this is this is
26:46
it And I can only imagine what she was thinking.
26:51
Being pregnant at that time, she was 36 weeks
26:54
pregnant with our baby girl. I can only imagine
26:58
her thinking, our baby, our baby girl. And the
27:02
reason I know this is because when it struck
27:04
her, the car kept going. It didn't stop. It kept
27:08
going. The only way this vehicle was stopped
27:12
was by a metal fence across the street. As I'm
27:19
seeing her laying there, motionless, her holding
27:25
her tummy, it was like a nightmare. A nightmare
27:32
that I was waiting to wake up, but I wasn't waking
27:35
up. I didn't know what to do. Reality wasn't,
27:41
like, I couldn't grasp this was reality. Tried
27:47
to resuscitate her. I tried to do what I could,
27:51
what was right. And just seeing her look at me.
28:02
It was hard to see that. It was hard to see someone
28:10
just leaving this earth and couldn't do nothing.
28:15
I didn't even notice people were around me. I
28:20
was just in a daze. I just couldn't believe it.
28:25
And I remember calling 911, trying to grasp my
28:34
thoughts, my words, to try to explain what was
28:37
going on, and nothing was coming out. Finally,
28:41
they arrived, and because of COVID, I couldn't
28:44
go with them. I was left there in her remains.
28:49
And not knowing if she was alive, if she was
28:54
passed away, nothing, not knowing anything. And
28:58
I remember like just telling any officer where
29:00
she, I didn't even know what hospital she was
29:02
taken to. Finally, an officer told me that they
29:06
were taken to the UCI Medical Center there in
29:10
Irvine, very close to. to where we lived. And
29:16
I remember finally trying to talk to her parents
29:21
because they lived like around the corner too.
29:25
Trying to like explain what was going on. And
29:28
it was hard. It was hard to explain what was
29:32
going on. Words wasn't coming out. They finally
29:35
arrived to the scene. They kind of put two and
29:39
two together and we finally made it to the hospital.
29:43
I remember right away when we got to the hospital,
29:45
they took us to a room. And I already knew that
29:50
they were going to give us bad news. And that's
29:53
when they told us that she passed away. And she
29:58
wasn't able to make it, that they tried to do
30:02
their best. But she passed away. In this moment,
30:12
you have just had this horrible accident happen
30:16
literally right before you, right in front of
30:21
your eyes, where you think you might also lose
30:25
your life, and it kind of flashes before you,
30:27
and then you unfortunately see her, and it happens
30:30
to her, and she's— I mean, I just can't get my
30:32
image out of my head where you said she's still
30:34
holding her belly as she's sitting there. So
30:37
they take her off. You don't get to go with,
30:40
and then you're arriving and they're giving you
30:42
the bad news. I got to assume that in this moment
30:44
too, you're also assuming that you've lost your
30:46
daughter. You've lost both your wife and your,
30:48
and your daughter. Correct. Yeah. Correct. I
30:53
already knew what they were going to tell me.
30:57
Like, Hey, you know, like it was kind of like
31:00
your daughter, you know, it's you, you assume,
31:05
you know, like she passed away. Obviously, you
31:08
know, she was, in the womb, she's going to pass
31:10
away too. Right. And, um, I was already waiting
31:13
for them to tell me, but when they told me, but,
31:16
but we have great news. I'm like, what, what,
31:20
what good music is coming out of this? Right.
31:23
And then they're like, well, your daughter survived.
31:25
And I'm like, wait, what can, can you repeat
31:28
that again? How did my daughter survive? You're
31:31
telling me that she passed away. Yeah. We were,
31:34
she went with 22. 20 minutes too little to no
31:38
oxygen in her womb. So when we could not save
31:43
your late wife, we had to do an emergency C -section.
31:48
She was unresponsive as well. But with CPR, they
31:55
were able to bring her back. Wow. And she's in
31:59
the NICU at the moment. We're still trying to
32:02
stabilize her. Once she's stabilized, then you
32:07
can see her. So then I'm like... I was in shock.
32:15
You know, I was expecting this bad news. I mean,
32:18
it's just like, what more pain can you give me?
32:24
You know, but then to find out that she's surviving,
32:29
all I was thinking was, I hope she works, that
32:33
she... She fights for her life, right? Now it's
32:37
a critical, she's a critical condition. I hope
32:40
she fights for her life that she wants to be
32:42
there. And I was just, I remember just sitting
32:46
out, her family was coming and they were all
32:50
grieving. And, you know, it's just, it was really
32:53
tough time. Finally, my parents arrived. I told
32:58
them what happened. They couldn't believe it.
33:01
When I told them that, like, my daughter survived,
33:03
they were shocked. They were like, wait, you
33:05
just told me that she passed away. Like, how
33:07
did they save her? I'm like, I don't know. They
33:11
just did. And I guess it was almost till midnight.
33:16
I remember it was almost midnight when I was
33:19
finally able to see my daughter. And I remember
33:22
telling them, do you want to come and see her?
33:25
But they were so, like, in grief. You know, they
33:27
just weren't in the right state of mind, you
33:30
know, to see her. So I was like, you know what?
33:32
I'm going to take my mom. Just be there to support
33:35
me, you know, mentally. So I go up there and
33:42
seeing her. There's videos on my page, too, that
33:47
you could see what I'm referring to. But she
33:51
was with tubes and everything and breathing apparatus.
33:55
And seeing her in that condition really broke
34:00
me. I mean imagine at that point in time you
34:05
don't know how well she's going to survive even,
34:09
right? You know in 20 minutes without oxygen
34:12
is a long time. And I got to imagine that there's
34:16
also some of that like how is this going to affect
34:20
her? Is she even going to make it? So they've
34:21
got her here now. Is she going to make it? What's
34:23
that going to be like? Is she going to have permanent
34:25
brain damage? I mean I just got to imagine there's
34:28
this whirlwind of emotions you're experiencing
34:29
in that moment. Yeah, it just... I can never
34:35
get that out of my head, just seeing her. It
34:39
really broke me because she was forced into this
34:44
world. It was still not her time to come into
34:47
this world, but because of a drunk driver deciding
34:51
to get in a vehicle at 7 o 'clock in the afternoon
34:57
on a Tuesday. It changed my whole life and not
35:02
even just my life. But you're talking about my
35:05
daughter. Because they're the ones that are the
35:09
ones that are affected the most. Our children
35:11
is always the ones that being affected the most.
35:14
And to me, that what broke me. Seeing her in
35:18
those tubes, seeing her, how she was just fighting
35:22
for her life. Really destroyed me. But. It was
35:31
the strength that I needed. Seeing her fight
35:35
for her life and getting better and progressing.
35:41
The next day or two, the breathing apparatus
35:45
was removed. She was breathing on her own. Even
35:49
though she was brought into the world forcefully,
35:51
she had jaundice because they considered her
35:54
still a preemie. She fought through that. She
35:59
got rid of it. A day or two. They didn't know
36:03
how much brain damage she was going to get because
36:05
she had what they call an infarct, which is a
36:08
small stroke in the frontal lobe. So we didn't
36:13
know what kind of damage it was going to happen.
36:15
So they did this new procedure, which they would
36:18
cool down her body to almost freezing temperature
36:22
to kind of, what they say, to restart or reboot
36:27
the brain. To avoid any further damage. Whatever
36:31
damage would happen. Yes that's going to happen.
36:34
But any further damage. We're trying to avoid
36:38
that. So they did. That procedure. And seeing
36:42
her. Just go through that. Like in this cold.
36:45
Like cold bed. Like freezing cold. And. She's
36:55
a warrior. And you know she's a warrior. She
36:59
fought through it. I remember when they told
37:03
me that I had to restart her body, like pretty
37:06
much bring up her body temperature to where it's
37:10
supposed to be. I remember they were telling
37:13
me that there could be a possibility of her getting
37:15
a seizure. I suffered from epilepsy. I had it
37:22
since I was nine years old. I always had epilepsy.
37:26
A lot of people don't know about it. So to me,
37:29
it was a big deal. So I wanted to be there for
37:31
her. So I remember staying that night, staying
37:35
up, just seeing, hopefully, that she didn't get
37:38
a seizure. She didn't. Thank God she fought through.
37:44
Her body was at the right temperature, body stabilized.
37:48
She was fighting. And they told me she overcame
37:53
so many obstacles that there were stunts. by
37:59
her condition they said we thought we were going
38:01
to keep her for months you might take her for
38:04
in a few weeks i'm stunned right and at that
38:10
time i'm going through the funeral process going
38:13
to the funeral i don't know if you ever uh had
38:16
to deal with that but imagine it's a lot of stress
38:20
yeah and then on top of that having a daughter
38:23
and then the NICU And then going through my grief,
38:27
going through my feelings, going through my pain
38:30
and suffering. It was tough. It was tough. It
38:33
was really tough. It's a lot. A lot to handle.
38:38
But you know what? I was like, I have to get
38:43
through it. I have to get through it. I can't
38:45
give up. Did the idea of how hard your daughter...
38:52
had to fight for her own life and the miracle
38:54
of her surviving, did that really carry you through
38:58
a lot of this grief? To this very day. This is
39:03
what helps me up. This is what wakes me up every
39:06
morning. It's her strength. Her strength that
39:10
she always fights, always, always fights. And
39:14
I always remember this. I remember this is the
39:18
biggest lesson I learned from my daughter. is
39:21
that I saw her in that bed as she's progressing
39:24
in a positive way. And I'm like, if this little
39:29
girl is fighting for her life to be here in this
39:33
world, I need to do the same. I need to fight
39:39
to be here for her. I wanted to be a father.
39:45
This is my time to shine. That would be the...
39:48
best father that I could possibly be for her
39:51
because she wants to be here for me. So I need
39:55
to be here for her. And that's where my whole
39:58
perspective changed. I decided to never show
40:03
my pain, my suffering in front of my daughter.
40:07
It was always positivity. It was always happiness
40:12
in my face. Every time I held her, every time
40:15
I was with her. It was positive energy because
40:19
it wasn't her fault that she was placed in that
40:24
position that she was. It wasn't her fault. And
40:31
I wanted to make sure that she had all the love
40:35
that she needs in this world. And that's what
40:38
made me keep fighting, keep pushing through.
40:46
I remember, like, finally taking her home. They
40:52
told me that, like, I hope you got plenty of
40:54
rest. You're definitely going to, any of you
40:57
have it, rest up because next Tuesday, like,
41:01
I remember it was, I think it was a Tuesday.
41:03
I forget what day it was. You're taking her home.
41:05
So get as much rest. But at that time, I couldn't
41:09
sleep. You know, I'm going through everything,
41:11
every emotion possible. Yeah. But I should have.
41:16
Took their advice because taking her home, I
41:19
thought she was going to be in that hospital
41:22
cycle. I'll be fine. It was a country. And let
41:28
me tell you, I admire, admire every single woman,
41:35
like single mother out there that raised kids
41:38
on their own. I admire them because. It was hard.
41:46
Hard. I remember the first week, zero sleep.
41:53
I swear to you. I looked like those zombies in
41:56
The Walking Dead. I kid you not. It was so bad.
42:00
I had to call my mom. I'm like, Mom, I haven't
42:02
slept for a week. Every time I close my eyes,
42:06
I catch myself falling asleep. It's not good
42:10
because I'm with my baby girl. It's not good.
42:15
So I remember, like, she would come sometimes
42:17
and help me or, you know, her side of the family
42:20
would help me, like, watch her and try to, like,
42:25
catch some Zs. But it's never the case, you know?
42:29
Like, I had the parenting mindset, right? Like,
42:34
hearing her cry, I'm like, what's going on? What's
42:36
wrong? You know? And they're like, no, she's
42:39
okay. She's just hungry. But it was just, like,
42:42
my father. father in me like just kick it and
42:45
um yeah i would have to uh uh i remember you
42:52
know when she would get hungry wake up with her
42:54
and she's hysterical crying like so hungry and
42:58
i would go to the kitchen warm up the water up
43:02
while holding her and trying to get the little
43:05
scoop of formula into the little bottle like
43:10
with a lack of sleep and the struggle just trying
43:15
to get it in the cup in the in the bottle and
43:17
then pouring the hot water and uh that is not
43:20
hot enough and then you're just testing it and
43:23
then just make sure it's just right and then
43:26
going back to the room and feeding her and then
43:30
waiting to her to finish and then burp her and
43:34
then you know just struggle burping the kids
43:36
sometimes they don't burp And you're there for
43:38
like almost 30 minutes trying to burp them. And
43:41
you finally do. And you put them to sleep. Finally
43:45
close your eyes. And then 10 minutes later, they're
43:48
up again. And it's all over again. And then diaper
43:53
change. I remember telling my late wife before
44:00
when she was pregnant, I was like, I'll do everything,
44:04
everything that you want me to do. just not change
44:07
a diaper i think it was just because i think
44:11
it was just because she was a baby girl and i
44:13
know hot girls you know it could be sensitive
44:15
right so for me it was like that's a lot of responsibility
44:19
for me i don't know i don't know i'm up for it
44:21
right and uh i was scared about that and i was
44:26
like i'll do everything that you want me to do
44:28
just don't change a diaper right and then guess
44:32
what i had to change them you know it was all
44:35
of them Yep, you had to change all of them. All
44:38
of them. No break for me. So I remember that
44:41
I would say shout out to, if anybody's listening
44:46
from the UCI Irvine Medical Center, thank you
44:52
so much for everything that you have given me
44:56
and done for my child and for myself and prepared
44:59
me. Because they definitely, I remember they
45:01
were like, the nurses were like. You're going
45:03
to learn how to change a diaper. And I'm like,
45:05
I just came to visit my daughter, you know, be
45:08
here with her. And I'm like, no, you're going
45:09
to learn because you're going to need it. And
45:11
I'm glad they did because they taught me. I remember
45:13
the first time changing her at the hospital,
45:15
the NICU. She had a blowout. I remember as soon
45:19
I got baptized. Oh, yeah. As soon as I removed
45:23
that, her diaper, it was like a, like a shotgun.
45:30
It was like. Boom. And it was like all over me,
45:33
all over the medical equipment. I was embarrassed.
45:37
I was like, oh, that was my girl doing that.
45:39
I'm like, I felt so embarrassed. And they're
45:40
like, no, don't worry about it. You're good.
45:44
I cleaned her up. But that was a great experience.
45:47
I was like, it can't get any worse than this.
45:51
So let's do it. So then I learned how to change
45:53
diapers and I became an expert. I mean, I was
45:57
on it. You know, I loved it, you know, and for
45:59
me, it was just like these are those special
46:02
moments, right? These are the special moments
46:04
that you look forward to. Well, isn't that interesting,
46:07
right? Like I think for anybody that has had
46:10
children, you can relate because being a parent,
46:13
especially for a young child like that, is hard.
46:16
Like there's a lot of difficulty in it, not getting
46:19
sleep and trying to find ways to. get them calm
46:22
or to keep them happy when they can't speak and
46:24
they can't communicate and changing dirty diapers.
46:27
And, and, and yet, just like you said, like when,
46:30
when you can reframe it and appreciated that
46:34
those, like, those are the moments that you have
46:36
with this precious little child, it can, it can
46:39
make all the difference. It's, um, when I was,
46:43
when I was kind of preparing for, um, for us
46:46
visiting, I came across a quote from Viktor Frankl,
46:50
who wrote Man's Search for Meaning. And he wrote,
46:54
when we are no longer able to change a situation,
46:57
we are challenged to change ourselves. And that
47:01
just, as you were talking, it just reminded me
47:03
exactly of that. I was like, that was the perfect
47:05
quote for me to have put on here, because as
47:07
you're talking about the situation that you're
47:09
thrust into, and that you had an opportunity,
47:13
you could either just... Kind of just continue
47:15
to grieve and go into a hole and shut out the
47:19
rest of the world and not take care of your daughter.
47:21
Or you could choose to find strength in your
47:25
daughter's strength and to know that you had
47:28
to be there for her. And then to find meaning
47:31
in changing a blowout and changing a diaper and
47:34
doing those things for her, which you did. Yeah,
47:38
you nailed it. It was for me, it was just. It's
47:43
easy to give up, right? But that wasn't the case.
47:47
For me, that wasn't an option. This baby girl
47:52
needed me. She needs me. And I had to step up.
47:56
I had to step up. I had to change. I had to change
47:58
my mentality. I needed to change everything,
48:03
right? Everything. And my whole, the biggest
48:07
change to me was my mindset, right? My mindset
48:11
of just like, I've been blessed for all these
48:16
opportunities. I've been blessed for a beautiful
48:18
community that was always supporting me. I remember
48:20
during the journey of trying to raise my daughter,
48:23
people reaching out to me and saying how much
48:28
they prayed for me and my daughter and being
48:32
there for me. It was beautiful. And then just
48:38
being there for my daughter and just being positive
48:41
for her. To me, it was just I need to change
48:45
this this mindset to a positivity. You know,
48:48
I was given a second chance in life. You know,
48:50
I could have also been dead, too. I could have
48:53
been struck with that vehicle as well. But I
48:56
didn't. But I'm still here now. And I found my
49:01
purpose, you know, to be the best father that
49:03
I could possibly be. But yet be inspiration to
49:06
this world. You know, I wanted to make sure that
49:09
I use my story in a positive way. When I share
49:15
my story, I do it for free. I don't do it for
49:19
any financial gain. I don't do it for any publicity.
49:23
No, I do this only to be able to inspire others.
49:30
This is why I tell my story. I only tell my story
49:33
to help others that are maybe struggling or maybe
49:38
in a... in a down time and trying to find that,
49:42
that light at the end of the tunnel, you know,
49:44
and I found it, I found it. And all I'm doing
49:47
is trying to help others find their purpose in
49:50
life too. Yeah. I love that. And so, you know,
49:56
one of the things too, that we, uh, we talked
49:59
about preparing for this was what's our, what's
50:02
our Disney movie tie -in going to be. Right.
50:04
And, uh, the one that, that really struck a chord
50:06
for you was in Kanto. And there's just a lot
50:10
of, you know, really great lessons we can learn
50:13
from Encanto that parallel really, really closely
50:15
with the story that you have. And one of the
50:18
ones from the very beginning of the story, I
50:20
think, kind of sets the stage exactly like it
50:22
did for you, which is with Abuela. And when she's
50:26
kind of telling the story at the beginning, she
50:28
says, long ago, when my three babies had just
50:30
been born, your abuelo Pedro and I were forced
50:33
to flee our home. And though many joined us hoping
50:36
to find a new home, we could not escape the dangers
50:39
and your abuelo was lost. But in our darkest
50:43
moment, we were given a miracle. You know, for
50:47
you, why is that? What does that resonate for
50:50
you and what your story is? My darkest times,
50:54
my whole life changed. You know, we were planning,
50:58
you know, a family. Maybe having more kids, having
51:05
a beautiful home. We were thinking of where to
51:10
move to, where we can buy a beautiful home, where
51:13
we can raise our kids, building a future. And
51:16
then all of a sudden, just my life turned upside
51:19
down, turned into this darkness. But out of that
51:23
darkness, light came into my world in the shape
51:27
of my baby girl, my daughter. I can truly say
51:32
I have a miracle as a daughter because she was
51:36
the miracle that I needed. She was the strength
51:39
that I needed to find purpose again. And with
51:45
Abuela, it's losing her husband. You lost your
51:52
wife, obviously, and then she's got these three
51:54
little babies that she's got to try to raise.
51:57
And you've got your daughter that you've got
51:58
to try to raise. And what's really this sweet
52:02
moment in kind of this overarching journey, right,
52:06
of Encanto. And maybe you can weigh in, too,
52:10
on kind of how it evolves over the course of
52:13
the movie relating to the stuff that you do.
52:14
But at the very end, when they're finally kind
52:16
of rebuilding the casita after it kind of— Collapses.
52:20
Yeah, after it collapsed. And there's this song
52:24
called All of You. And in it, Abuela's kind of—
52:29
come into some realizations about things right
52:31
about how you know maybe she could have done
52:33
things a little bit different after having gotten
52:35
that miracle and loving her family so much but
52:37
but maybe some mistakes she made and part of
52:39
the song she says and i'm sorry i held on too
52:41
tight just so afraid i'd lose you too the miracle
52:44
is not some magic that you've got the miracle
52:48
is you not some gift just you The miracle is
52:52
you. And so as I hear your story, so much of
52:55
that is just like you said, you know, your daughter
52:57
is the miracle. It's not about some gift, some
53:00
external talent she has. Like she is a miracle.
53:03
You are the miracle because you just as easily
53:06
could have lost your life as well. But you didn't.
53:09
It's now you become a miracle and she's a miracle.
53:12
And it's just so wonderful that you're willing
53:15
to share this story that you have. of kind of
53:18
what you experienced, because it is something
53:21
so difficult that you went through, and yet you're
53:25
using it for good. You've been able to create
53:28
this beautiful life that you have for you and
53:31
for your daughter and gain this great appreciation
53:34
for what life is because you were given this
53:38
gift. What other things from Encanto really resonate
53:42
for you? Was there any other parts of the story
53:44
that... You really liked from Encanto that you
53:47
feel, you know, are either parallels to your
53:49
story that you learned from. Yeah, I would say,
53:52
you know, my daughter, she looked so like Mirabel
53:59
with her short curly hair and just her stature.
54:06
We used to watch it all the time, and she loved
54:09
Encanto. We even did one of her birthdays, Encanto
54:13
theme, and I even dressed up like Bruno. I remember
54:18
we gone to Boogie Bash, and she was dressed like
54:22
Encanto. I was Bruno as well. So I did a lot
54:27
for her, you know, just great memories to build
54:30
with her. And what I love so much about that
54:33
movie was, yes, I would say Abuela's story. And
54:37
then seeing Adeline, my daughter, being like
54:41
Mirabel, you know, like finding, trying to find
54:45
herself, you know, trying to find herself in
54:48
a house full of people that have these extraordinary
54:52
powers and blessings. Right. And she's just trying
54:57
to find her. She's trying to find her purpose.
54:59
But yet she's so supportive of her family. You
55:04
know, regardless that she has powers or no powers,
55:07
she always cared about her family. She always
55:10
put her family first. And that's what I noticed
55:13
a lot with my daughter. She has so much love
55:15
to give. You know, she's so loving. You know,
55:19
she's that little person that lights up the room.
55:24
You know, hugs random strangers. Just really
55:29
kind and really loving. And I love that. That
55:35
she has no mommy, that she will never get to
55:38
meet her mommy. She still knows what love is.
55:42
She still knows how to give love. And I remember
55:48
every time, every little moment, like she hugs
55:50
me and she embraces me and she's like, I love
55:53
you, daddy. And it's like the most beautiful
55:56
thing. Those are the moments that are worth all
56:02
the sacrifices. All the pain, everything I went
56:08
through, were those very moments. Those are the
56:14
moments that I cherish most. I think it's such
56:20
a great reminder for us that those are the moments
56:26
to cherish. You know, when I think about my two
56:29
little girls, they're 10 and 6, and one of my
56:32
favorite things in the world. is when I come
56:36
home from work and they just run up to me and
56:39
give me a big hug just because I'm their dad
56:42
and they love me and they tell me they love me
56:44
and they give me that hug and it's just the moments
56:47
in life that bring us such great joy because
56:49
life is not always easy. Sometimes life has challenges
56:52
and sometimes... Huge challenges like you had.
56:56
Immense, like you don't know how you could possibly
56:58
overcome those challenges. And yet there's these
57:01
moments in life that remind us that life is worth
57:04
living and that we can find joy and we can find
57:07
happiness even when we go through trials, which
57:11
we all do. And not many of us will go through
57:14
a trial like you did. But we all have trials.
57:18
And knowing that you had the strength to overcome
57:22
the trial you did, it makes it for the rest of
57:25
us like, okay, I can do it too. You know, I can
57:27
overcome a little thing that I've got, a difficulty
57:31
at work or a difficult relationship, that I can
57:34
still overcome it. I can still find happiness
57:36
and joy, even though I might have these little
57:40
challenges that come up in life. Absolutely.
57:43
I agree. Sometimes we're so busy with life that
57:49
we take it for granted. We take those little
57:51
special moments for granted. That's why I always
57:54
say, you know, when the other fathers, you know,
58:00
like, or they ever reach out to me, you know,
58:02
I always tell them, like, just dedicate at least
58:04
20 minutes of your time a day, right? Those 20
58:08
minutes will feel like an eternity for them.
58:13
You know, they won't care that you were gone.
58:16
For eight to ten hours at work. All they look
58:20
forward to. Throughout their day. Is that. Little
58:25
bit of time that they have with their dad. Dedicated.
58:30
Solely. All their attention to them. Like. It's
58:35
the best feeling. And I always try to do that
58:37
all the time. Just dedicate every. A little segment
58:42
that I possibly can add for my daughter, just
58:44
give them. And, you know, now that I have a growing
58:47
family, a newborn, and I try to embed that same
58:50
mentality with our newborn. You know, I'm dedicating,
58:54
spending time changing his diaper. You know,
58:57
he's being so excited while I'm changing his
59:01
diaper and licking up and he's just giggling.
59:04
And I love it. It's just those are the moments
59:06
that you cherish, right? This is the moments
59:09
why you wanted to become a father. It's a beautiful
59:12
thing. And I'm glad you brought that out, too,
59:15
because, you know, a huge congratulations on
59:18
having having your little one, another little
59:22
miracle that you have in your life and, you know,
59:25
the joy and happiness that that will continue
59:27
to bring. And how does your how does your how
59:31
does your daughter like having a little brother?
59:34
She loves it. Yeah, she loves it. Yes. I think
59:37
that's what made me step out into the world.
59:41
I remember at the time our neighbor had a daughter.
59:48
So they had a baby girl and then my daughter
59:51
holding the baby for the first time. And I could
59:54
see, I even have a video where her eyes just
59:57
lit up, holding the baby, just embracing the
1:00:02
baby, being so gentle. And it just made me realize,
1:00:06
like, I was so determined to... Live a life of
1:00:11
just being her and I, right? Just kind of living
1:00:14
a life of just, I'll be content with just having
1:00:17
my daughter. Not realizing what she wanted. And
1:00:21
what I saw with my daughter is that she wanted
1:00:23
a family. She wanted siblings. And at that moment,
1:00:31
I was like, I think I'm just being selfish, right?
1:00:34
I wasn't thinking about her and what she wanted
1:00:37
in this life. And I was like, I think it's time.
1:00:40
It's already been five years. I think I grieved
1:00:43
enough, you know, in a sense of just, if I wait
1:00:48
longer, then it's going to be a little harder
1:00:50
for her, you know. And I decided to put myself
1:00:53
out there and I found an amazing partner that
1:00:57
supports me, that's there for me. I love her
1:01:01
with all my heart. She's been there for me, understands
1:01:04
what I went through and what I'm going through.
1:01:07
you know, she always supported me, you know,
1:01:10
she's always been there and she embraced my daughter
1:01:13
as one of her own. And she's been a great mother
1:01:16
figure. And, um, even though sometimes we bump
1:01:19
heads and we don't, you know, we don't, we don't
1:01:22
coordinate, but yet I know her good intentions,
1:01:25
you know, she's always been good to my daughter
1:01:27
and teaching her well. And, and I've been truly
1:01:30
appreciative of her and, um, found out that,
1:01:36
you know, She was pregnant, and I couldn't believe
1:01:40
it because I was like, man, I never expected
1:01:42
to be a father again. So having to become a father
1:01:46
again was a beautiful thing, a beautiful feeling.
1:01:50
I'm blessed and a miracle again. And then to
1:01:53
find out it was a baby boy, I was like, yes,
1:01:56
now I can be able to experience having a boy,
1:02:00
being a boy dad now. So it's been a beautiful
1:02:05
journey. you know changing diapers again and
1:02:08
enjoying the little moments and my daughter embracing
1:02:11
him and she loves him she sings to him all the
1:02:15
time oh cute yes so she sings to him all the
1:02:19
time and it's a beautiful bond and you know having
1:02:22
a stepson as well you know uh having all those
1:02:26
ties in so it's it's kind of like i would say
1:02:28
it's been beautiful to kind of put on the different
1:02:31
dad type jobs in a sense of being That father
1:02:37
for my daughter, being there supportive, you
1:02:40
know, as she's growing up, trying to figure out
1:02:42
who she is. And then change the hat to be kind
1:02:45
of being that supportive dad for the stepson
1:02:47
that, you know, he's older. So being there for
1:02:52
him and then putting on that hat of that newborn
1:02:56
that needs me as well. And it's helping my partner.
1:02:59
So it's been a journey. It's been challenges
1:03:03
at times. I'm truly blessed. I'm truly thankful.
1:03:08
Like in the movie Encanto, you know, at the end,
1:03:13
like you mentioned, you know, the miracle is
1:03:16
you. I feel like that sometimes we take for granted
1:03:19
of what we have. And we're so focused on making
1:03:24
sure that we're trying to do our best and trying
1:03:28
to live life the best we can. But at the end
1:03:31
of the day, what matters most is being at home
1:03:34
and being with your family. and cherish one another,
1:03:37
right? Yeah. Powers or no powers, right? So that's
1:03:42
me. That's me when I come home, enjoy all the
1:03:46
kids and, you know, spend time and be in the
1:03:49
backyard playing catch and playing baseball.
1:03:54
You know, that's what really life is about. So
1:03:58
that's why I love about Encanto. It just really
1:04:02
brings me back to what's important. and uh perspiration
1:04:08
right it's it's a being able to overcome uh something
1:04:12
horrific into something beautiful so that's why
1:04:16
i love that movie so much so let me ask you uh
1:04:21
kind of one final question before we go to our
1:04:23
our this or that segment yeah what did you what
1:04:27
do you feel like you learned about love that
1:04:31
you really couldn't have learned Had you not
1:04:34
gone through this experience. Oh man. Let's see.
1:04:49
I would say that. I would say. Love will find
1:04:57
you. Even when you're not looking. That sometimes
1:05:03
when you think you give up on love, love will
1:05:05
find you. And love comes in different forms and
1:05:12
shapes. I never expected to fall in love again,
1:05:16
to find a partner again, but I did. And it's
1:05:21
a beautiful thing. And I think that's what I
1:05:25
learned the most. I think it's more of like...
1:05:32
Love can overcome anything. Anger, grief, pain.
1:05:41
Yeah, because you've had your fair share. You've
1:05:43
had your fair share of that. And I love that.
1:05:45
I love that. So what we'll do then is let's move
1:05:49
to our this or that segment. All right. You ready
1:05:52
for this? I'm ready. Okay. So, you know, you
1:05:55
might have some controversial opinions on these
1:05:58
this or that. So we'll have to see if you can
1:05:59
challenge those if you do. All right, so the
1:06:02
first one, this or that, Mirabel or Abuela? Oh,
1:06:09
Mirabel. Okay, okay. Look, she's like, Mirabel
1:06:15
is such a great character. She's just the best.
1:06:18
It's because she looks just like, she looked
1:06:20
like my daughter. So that's why I'm like. How
1:06:22
can you not? Yeah, how can you not? I see the
1:06:24
movie and I see my daughter. So yeah, Mirabel.
1:06:26
I know I have love for Abuelita, but Mirabel.
1:06:31
How about Bruno or Casita? Oh, my gosh. Oof.
1:06:38
Oof. You know what? Jeez. Jeez, jeez, jeez. Oh,
1:06:43
man. Oh, jeez. Okay. Bruno or Casita? Dang. I
1:06:49
would say oof. Sorry, Bruno, but I say Casita.
1:06:57
Casita's so fun. It's like such a character in
1:07:00
and of itself. And so sweet with Mirabel too,
1:07:03
right? Like Mirabel and Casita had this great
1:07:05
relationship together. They just did a great
1:07:07
job with Casita. I just feel like Casita was
1:07:10
kind of like that spirit that kind of guided
1:07:18
them, right? It's that little oomph that they
1:07:20
needed. And I think that's why I resonate more
1:07:23
with Casita because... I always felt this energy,
1:07:26
and I don't know if it's her present, my late
1:07:29
wife present, always guiding me. And it's so
1:07:31
funny because you mentioned that. Sorry to interrupt
1:07:33
that real quickly. You know, sometimes, I don't
1:07:37
know, I'm very superstitious like that, but when
1:07:39
I notice, like, butterflies or a hummingbird,
1:07:44
you know, and I always be like, that's her. That's
1:07:47
her checking in on us, see if we're okay. And
1:07:51
sometimes it was the most random things, and
1:07:52
sometimes when I'm, like, struggling with something.
1:07:54
I'm like, I don't know what to do. And then she
1:07:57
would pop up and she'd be like, I would see the
1:07:59
white, uh, butterfly. And I'm like, I could get
1:08:04
through this. Yeah. He has my back, you know?
1:08:07
So that's how I feel about it. Yeah. I love that.
1:08:11
It's perfect. It's been an absolute pleasure
1:08:14
to visit with you. I'm so inspired by you. Um,
1:08:18
I am inspired by your strength. by your character,
1:08:21
by the love that you show for those around you,
1:08:24
for how you freely share your gift, which is
1:08:28
you and which is your daughter. It's been so
1:08:31
lovely to visit with you. I appreciate your time.
1:08:34
As you leave this conversation, remember that
1:08:37
yes, the past can hurt and you can either run
1:08:40
from it or you can learn from it. So here's to
1:08:43
learning and finding joy in the journey. See
1:08:47
you real soon.