Abraham Amezcua, a longshoreman at the Port of Los Angeles, stopped working in March due to concerns of bringing coronavirus home, NBC Los Angeles reported. However, Amezcua returned to work in late November so he could afford Christmas presents for his children, his family told the outlet.
He reportedly started coughing two days later and stayed home to self-isolate. The family said on the fundraiser’s page that Amezcua, 59, was found dead in his home by his eldest son after falling ill with coronavirus-related symptoms.
“He was definitely a loving father,” Amezcua’s niece Eden Castaneda told KTLA. “His kids were his everything. He absolutely loved his kids with all of his heart.”
Amezcua’s relatives have made a desperate plea on GoFundMe after his children — son Moses, 13, and twins Antonio and Sydney, 11 — tested positive for COVID-19 in the days following his death.
“He was battling COVID-19 at home and did not make it through the night,” the campaign’s description read. “Earlier this year, he went on disability and like many others was doing his best to keep a roof over his children’s head and food on the table. After a few months, he could not keep up on the bills, he became sick with COVID, and passed.”