The Hero that never got tired

Eric Moses Sanchez was his name born 4/6/1971. This man was my dad and all i can say is what a man. He weighed 364 pounds and was 5'11 and always said he was 6 foot! Remembering him is like remembering your favorite pie during thanksgiving feast. I get butterflies remembering his warmth and love that he gave all of us.

Starting out life was hard, when I was born his life was not figured out. He was a dj, always partied hard, and was so young minded. I would wake up to a living room filled with drunk friends and a soggy diaper I wouldve wor for hours before my mom got off work to come home to clean me up and feed me. Dad was always out with his friends partying and we were always at home.

One day my dad didn't come home after partying and that wasnt like him. He always came home to mom and I no matter what happened. Finally mom got a call and it was my dads bestfriend explaining that dad was runk and went into circle k and was armed and committed a crime. Armed robbery... my mom must've felt relieved. Dad was always fighting with her and yes they did get physical but looking at he face. She was sad, hurt and scared. Terrified of the future. We left and mom was so afraid of what was going to happen because my dads friends were never to far away and she didnt want to be found.

I remember like it was yesterday. Dad got out of jail and my mom went to see him to rekindle the relationship. He begged her to come see him one last time so he can see his kids and they met oat their house. Seeing the house, it was just the way we left it clean and a home with all of our beginnings.

Dad gave me a hge hug and kissed my mom . He had a distinctive look, like he was uilty and apologized. My mom started telling him she met another man and he lost it. She went flying across the room and they were fighting so bad they were both bleeding. I had to jump in or I felt someone was going to die. This wasnt the first time this has happened but it was the last time it would happen. I stopped my dad nd told him if he hits my mom again we will never see him again. He started to apologize and promised he would never do it again.

From that day forward our lives changed, my dad prayed, we went to church and not just a sunday church but a everyday church. He was a gang member in the past so , we had to adapt to alot of changes. No more rich lifestlyle, no more house, he got a tow truck job and lived a stright and narrow path.

I ended up having 3 brother born after me and dad I grew up together so i was ecstatic to get 5 mins with him. He made sure our lives were peaceful and would alway lecture us on the world and how dangerous it could be. He would invest his time in us by giving us lessons about God and life. OH HOW I MISS him and those lssons. He looked intimidating on the outside with all his tattoos and demeanor but everyone called him a jolly giant. His favorite holiday was christmas.

He never had a dad and wanted to give us the best so he wouldnt get us anything for christmas until the day of christmas. My brothers and I would be so sad no christms presents were under the tree and then boom on christmas it never failed we would have christmas. Traditions like eating turkey on thanksgiving, Putting up chrstmas lights the day before thankgiving and always haing cake on your birthday tose were all memories i hold onto but most imortant was all the lectures he gave on Jesus and loving God is.

We didnt have much but my dad would say i dont have much room in my house bu if you need a place to stay, pick a corner in the house and at times we would have family and friends living with us because my dad loved everyone. He even would say driving around the tow truck is like carrying the cross each day!

one day on 01/01/2017, apart of me died. My father was having a hard time breathing and we took him to the hospital. The nurse checked him and 3 hours later said he was fine and nothing was wrong. I was there because he really never spoke up when he needed to so i wanted to make sure he got the care he needed. He was always scare of the hospitals. My mom ws there as well and we explined he still wasnt able to breathe that well. The nurse ame and tried to taake his vitals but there were no vitals reading.

His organs were failing and they needed to put him under to stop his body from overworking. I said no but he said to the doctor please save my life and the doctor put in orders for them to put him to sleep into induced coma. As he was announcing to my dad what we was doing, explaining that he was injecting the medication directly into the atrtery to his heart through his neck. As soon as the medication went into my dads heart. IT STOPPED.

AND HE WAS GONE. My father left behind a huge legacy, he lives through my siblings and I and I thank him for all he has done. His love surrounds us each day and his lessons are embedded into our hearts and mind. This is his story. He worked and sacrificed alot for his kids =, providing the best life he could for all of us including my mom. She didnt have to work and he was our rock, the glue that kept us together. I write this story in honor of my dd, the greatest dad onearth that would give his last breath to save another.