www.gjaysworld.org

Just last April 4, 2008, 7-year-old Jose Gabriel Dela Rosa, or Gjay as he was called, was in the United States for the first time, with his family, and he was excited to visit Disneyland, Universal Studios and other theme parks. In the afternoon of their very first day in the U.S., he was walking with his family on a sidewalk in Pasadena. When suddenly, a car that collided with another car, careened up the sidewalk where the Dela Rosa family were, crushing Gjay and his family. His mother Chichi sustained moderate injuries, his dad Peewee suffered major injuries, while little Gjay, unfortunately, succumbed to his fatal injuries and passed away.

The hospital he was brought to was deluged with outpourings of sympathy, people from all walks of life asking how they could help. Employees said they’d never seen such a response from people wanting to send flowers or any type of help. A foundation was immediately set up for the family where donations could be sent in.

His mother Chichi left a comment on this blog and when I visited the blog that his uncle set up for the family, an inescapable sadness gripped my heart. I could not even dare approximate the grief that his family went through, losing a vibrant young child, so full of promise, with a life lived to the fullest, abruptly and summarily denied. I don’t know the Dela Rosa family personally, but my heart broke many times as I read through the messages on their blog. It was as if someone put my heart in a vise and started tightening it more and more as I got to know this little boy, and the tragedy seemed progressively more cruel the more you get a peek at how great the loss must have been to those who loved him the most.

His mom said that they would always listen to the Morning Rush during their drive to La Salle Greenhills, where Gjay would have been an incoming Grade 2 student, and Chichi recounted how she would text us to greet Gjay and his ate Alexa. She was asking for prayers and support for this most difficult of times. So if you want to get to know more about this brave little angel, as recounted by his family and friends, and if you want to reach out to the Dela Rosa family in any capacity you choose, check out www.gjaysworld.org .

To Chichi, thank you for sharing with us your story, and you have our deepest sympathies and prayers. We never got to know Gjay, but knowing that somehow we spent our mornings together truly breaks my heart. I wish you all the grace that you need to soldier through this. And I pray for the quick and speedy recovery of your husband Peewee.

And to Gjay, wherever you may be, and we know you’re in a good and gentle place, know that in the very little time you spent on earth, you brought so much happiness to the people whose lives you’ve touched. The immeasurable amount of sorrow that your family and friends are feeling, now that you’re gone, is every drop commensurate to the joy that you’ve brought to their lives. It’s a pity we never met, but since you only know me as someone from the radio, allow me to play you one last song. The title says it all, it’s Michael Jackson’s “Gone Too Soon”. Sleep well, Angel Gabriel…