How Do You Tell A Child His Friend Has Died?

I am not adequately equipped to write about this. But here I go anyway. ...

My son's classmate, Eduardo "Edu" Grijalva died Tuesday at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. He had just celebrated his seventh birthday last month.

I felt that it was important to let the community know, his community, that he lost his battle with acute Leukemia. When everyone first learned about his fight, hands went up, volunteers coordinated events and everyone helped spread the word. 

My son and his classmates raised money, collected recyclables and sent weekly care packages to Edu. There was a carpool every week with classmates visiting Edu and the classroom parents took turns making meals for the Grijalva family. Edu's teacher, Laura Gonzalez, helped coordinate multiple bone marrow donor drives, Skyped with Edu during class so he could keep up and visited him in the hospital every week. And so many other examples of this community coming together for this young boy.

I received the call at about 4:30 p.m. July 23. "Ms. Shannon" as we know her at River Glen School in San Jose's Willow Glen neighborhood called and, through tears told me that Edu had died.

How do I begin to process this? How will I explain to my 6-year-old that his classmate, his friend, has died? The thought of explaining this, exposing him to mortality leaves me with a hollow feeling inside. I want to protect him. Shelter him. Keep his innocence intact for as long as I can. So I look to you, my community, for help, for advice.

And there's that word again. Community.

I mention this too because without the community--the River Glen community, the neighborhood, Willow Glen, Campbell and all the various communities that read, shared and helped Edu--the Grijalva family may have ended up going through this heartbreaking journey alone. So thank you.

I wish that Edu's story was a rare one, that these things just don't happen to children but something that his mother once told us sticks in my mind.

"My son has a tough one (cancer) but the hallways at the hospital are filled with other children that are going through the same, or worse, than Edu."

Edu Grijalva's family needs financial support to pay for funeral expenses. Donations can be made at Wells Fargo bank account #6832984972.