After his wife died of cancer, Alfonso Cardenas “made sure we were happy,” recalls one of his twin daughters, remembering the dad who loved to dance—and always had time to listen.
For three Tampa siblings, COVID-19 has left them without parents.
Their father, Alfonso Cardenas, passed away on August 2nd, after battling the virus for about six weeks. He died two weeks before turning 56. For the past six years, Cardenas had been the sole parent and support to his children after his wife and the children’s mother, Clara Gomez, passed away from cancer after a 12-year battle with the disease.
Twenty-year-old twin sisters Jhoana and Alejandra and their 14-year-old brother, Ivan, recall how their father did everything for them during the last six years, trying to be both a father and mother for them.
“He made sure my brother, sister, and I had someone to talk to. He would always listen to us,” said Jhoana of her father, who was a native of Colombia. “He did everything in his power— he made sure we were happy and fulfilled all the time.”
Cardenas’ work revolved around helping others; he worked as a family service counselor at a funeral home. He was also a coach at a local soccer club where he coached his twin daughters and son since they were 6 years old.
“When we were growing up he was always very positive. He would say there was a solution to every problem you can find,” said Jhoana.
Cardenas was always the life of parties. “When we would go to family parties and they had music he would always want to dance. When my sister and I would say no, he would start dancing all silly,” she said.
Cardenas began to feel ill the weekend of Father’s Day. A week after he was spending most of the time in bed with chills and asked his daughters to take him to the hospital.
Cardenas began to feel ill the weekend of Father’s Day. A week after he was spending most of the time in bed with chills and asked his daughters to take him to the hospital. Read More
HEALTH STATUS 