KMPH Fox 26 Central San Joaquin Valley News Source in Fresno, California Entertainment, News, Sports and Weather | Mother of Hanford H1N1 Victim Speaks Out

Mother of Hanford H1N1 Victim Speaks Out

By: Ashley Ritchie

On the day Adrian Gonzalez was born, the odds were against him.

"They told me he would last three hours, not even through the day," Martina Villarreal, Adrian's mother said.

Adrian was born with down syndrome and severe asthma.

And at three months old, he had open heart surgery.

But the boy given just three hours to live wasn't ready to give up.

"He was a miracle baby," Villarreal said.

Now six years old, Adrian was attending Shelley Baird, a special education school in Hanford, learning how to leave his own unique footprint on the world.

"He couldn't walk, but he was crawling. And you stand him up and he would just dance and bounce around," Villarreal said.

But on October 18th, tragedy struck.

Adrian died after spending 15 days in the hospital battling the H1N1 virus.

"His heart was weak and just couldn't fight the infection. His kidneys and everything just started shutting down," Villarreal said.

"We're very worried, yes. But I feel like we're doing everything that we can to stave it off," Barbara Zaino, Kings County Office of Education assistant superintendent, said.

Zaino says they're keeping districts, teachers and parents informed about the virus, as well as enforcing proper hand washing and making sure kids stay home if they're sick.

"It's pretty scary in that, as far as the county office goes, we serve a population of severely handicap children and those obviously are kids that are very high risk," Zaino said.

For Adrian's family, planning a funeral is something they weren't prepared to do.

"What can I say? It's very hard. I wish not to bother anybody, but we are in a financial situation," Villarreal said.

And with his death comes a motherly lesson this mom never wanted to learn.

"I remember my mom saying there's nothing worse than losing your child and I didn't really think of it. But now I hear her clearly," Villarreal said.

But she is thankful for the odds little Adrian did defy and giving her five years and 21 hours with him, doctors said she'd never get.

Adrian's funeral is scheduled for Friday.

His family says they've raised about half of the $2,700 they need to pay for the memorial.

They say they've tried to hold car washes to raise money, but have had problems with the city regarding permits.

If you'd like to help, donations can be mailed to:

People's Funeral Chapel

501 N. Douty

Hanford, Ca 93230