Her mother said in an interview that she was now caring for her grandchildren but that she had to quit her job as a housekeeper to do so. That has left the family with only the income of Anadelia’s husband, Richard Díaz, a delivery driver.
“Our world fell apart,” said Anadelia Díaz. “Now we have to raise three children.”
Samantha Díaz, known as Sammy, was the granddaughter of migrant workers from Mexico and one of the first of her extended family who did not grow up harvesting in the fields. Her grandmother, Cleofas Martinez, known as Coca, was one of the leading organizers among migrant workers at Indiantown in Martin County, according to The Palm Beach Post.
Díaz was born on July 19, 1990 in Palm Beach Gardens. She grew up in West Palm Beach and graduated from South Tech Academy, where she studied cosmetology. Later, she took university courses in health and science and got a job as a medical assistant in a cardiology practice.
“He loved helping people when they were sick,” said his mother. “It was her passion.”
Diaz’s other passions were dancing and music, especially salsa, merengue, and Texan. And he loved his family’s tradition of celebrating life’s milestones: birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, with elaborate cakes.
In addition to his parents and two young children, he is survived by a teenage son, Ricardo.
Díaz was distressed that Florida had not turned off when the virus began its recent resurgence in June; The state is now dealing with one of the country’s deadliest COVID-19 outbreaks. This has turned his family’s daily life into a “nightmare,” his mother said.
“We all walk around with masks and gloves, and we disinfect everything when babies nap,” he said. “We go through bottles and bottles and bottles of Clorox wipes. We leave everything outside for 10 hours for the sun to hit them. We use paper cups and plates and just throw everything away. We are constantly washing sheets and bedding and ventilating the house. ”
But the most difficult part, he said, has been that young children cry constantly and are inconsolable, not only because they are sick and have lost their mother, but because fear of the virus means that no one picks them up and hugs them.
“We can’t love them when they cry,” said Díaz.
