Welcome to the memorial page for
Austin "Mikey" Cortez
December 28, 1974 ~ December 27, 2013 (age 38) 38 Years OldShare Tribute:
MIKEY is the youngest of 4 children of Paul & Roonie. Oldest ANGELICA MARIA, DUKE, TONY.
He loved to tell jokes, he was a jokester, prankster, if his siblings wanted something from mom & dad they would send MIKEY to ask. They knew that MIKEY was butter in dad’s hands. MIKEY was a loveable son.
On MARCH 26th, 1982 our lives were to change forever. A drunk driver went head on with the car that our families were in. By the end of that dreadful day I was to find out that we had lost our oldest son DUKE 11yrs old, our niece EDIE 6yrs old, our nephew GREGORY 4yrs old and their mother VANGE BRADSHAW.
Those that survived with injuries: JOHN BRADSHAW, ROONIE CORTEZ, ANGELICA, TONY and MIKEY who was left in a PERSISTENT VEGESTATIVE CONDITION.
That night after searching and finding my loved ones in several hospitals, I had to identify in the morgue the bodies of our loved ones.
The last stop I made was at the RIVERSIDE GENERAL HOSPITAL, in the pediatric ICU UNIT there I found Mikey on life support. Doctors consulted with me, there assessment of MIKEY’S condition was that if his brain activity & breathing patterns did not improve, I would have to decide to unplug the life support machines. I had never in my life up to this point ever asked GOD for anything .I sat by MIKEY that night and sang to him an IRISH LULLABY. I got on my knee’s and began to pray, all I wanted was for GOD to be with me that night. As I held on to MIKEY’S hand I began to feel a peace that all would be ok. I made a promise to GOD that if MIKEY lived no matter what condition, no matter what the outcome we would care for him as long as OUR LORD gave us the strength to do so. I would seal my promise to the LORD by making a pilgrimage to OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE in Jalisco, Mexico, by foot. I made the walk in 1984.
Our faith has been tested throughout the years. In June 1984, on our 15acre property in Winchester, my father was pinned under a John Deer Tractor. As I walked out our house I found my father pinned under the rear tractor tires unconscious. The engine would not turn on so that I could move him from underneath, I prayed to the LORD to not let him suffer underneath the tractor. I tried again to turn on the engine and it immediately started up. I pulled the tractor off him and held him till paramedic arrived. He died hrs later in the Emergency Room.
In October 1993 the fires that swept through the valley caught us by surprise. I had custom built our home on our property in Winchester in 1990. We only had a minutes warning that frightfulll morning at 3am when our son TONY woke us up after seeing the flames from his bedroom window. We only had minutes to get out of the house with nothing but what we were wearing. I carried MIKEY out and literally threw him into our van. As I drove my family to safety on the highway, there was nowhere to go. The road was covered with burning brush each way we tried to find safety. I finally prayed to GOD that he find us a way I didn’t want my family to burn to death. The LORD gave us safe passage as we drove through the fire.
When the doctors were ready to release MIKEY into our care after 5 months in ICU, they gave us two alternatives for his care. 1- we could put him into an institution where they would care for him or 2- We could take him home, but expect to care for him 24hrs a day, 7days a week. Without hesitation his mother chose to bring MIKEY home, where he would be surrounded by his family and a house full of GOD’S LOVE!!
MIKEY’S life expectancy was to be 3 to 5 years based on the seriousness of his injuries. That was not to be, for a MOTHERS LOVE, DEVOTION, DEDICATION, AFFECTION, & SACRIFICE for her son has given him a VOICE to be heard, EYES so to see and EARS so to hear, She has been his life line to this world we live in and because of this the LORD BLESSED US with 31yrs.
Never once did she complain of the hours and days she went without sleep. Never once did she fail to provide her son with the daily chores of bathing, feeding, medications, positioning him for comfort,
Scheduling doctors appointments and all that it took to care for her MIKEY.
An intricate part of MIKEY’S life was his GRANDMOTHER CORTEZ. She provided stability in our household. She was our NURSEY as we called her. Her love for her grandson was a shinning example to us of the richness of pure love. Every morning without fail I can find her in her bedroom reciting the HOLY ROSARY for all her children and grandchildren and great grandchildren. Her duties with MIKEY as well as watching over him was to make sure that he got fed on time and I am sure MIKEY was thankful for his grandma’s promptness
.
MIKEY, though he may not have been able to speak, I’m sure he has impacted many lives through our involment with MADD ORGANIZATION, presentations at elementary, middle, and high school events.
Driver ed classes, mandatory sobriety classes. His brother’s family, sister’s family, uncle’s & aunt’s, cousins, friends & acquaintances and especially his nephews KENNY & DYLAN, & niece IVY who gave him the biggest smoocher on his cheek this past Christmas day.
There are countless of people who have provided help with MIKEYS care over the 31yrs so many to mention that I would do an injustice if I failed to mention anyone individually. Know that you were all a Blessing to MIKEY & our lives. GOD brought you into our lives from every walk of life, from the DOCTORS, ICU NURSES, OUR NIGHT NURSES, MEDICAL SUPPLIES PROVIDERS, SOCIAL WORKERS, DIALYSIS STAFF & TRAINING TEAM, ALL THE MEDICAL PERSONAL THAT CAME TO OUR HOME TO PROVIDE FOR MIKEY’S CARE, THE YOUNG PARAMEDICS THAT TRANSPORTED MIKEY TO & FROM THE DYALISIS CENTER IN RIVERISIDE FOR 6 WEEKS.
Finally, though we shed tears and will go through the grieving process, we are at peace knowing that GOD IS ALL GOOD, and our MIKEY is finally at rest and in the presence of our LORD, enjoying the promises of CHRIST.
Sincerely,
Paul & Roonie Cortez
He loved to tell jokes, he was a jokester, prankster, if his siblings wanted something from mom & dad they would send MIKEY to ask. They knew that MIKEY was butter in dad’s hands. MIKEY was a loveable son.
On MARCH 26th, 1982 our lives were to change forever. A drunk driver went head on with the car that our families were in. By the end of that dreadful day I was to find out that we had lost our oldest son DUKE 11yrs old, our niece EDIE 6yrs old, our nephew GREGORY 4yrs old and their mother VANGE BRADSHAW.
Those that survived with injuries: JOHN BRADSHAW, ROONIE CORTEZ, ANGELICA, TONY and MIKEY who was left in a PERSISTENT VEGESTATIVE CONDITION.
That night after searching and finding my loved ones in several hospitals, I had to identify in the morgue the bodies of our loved ones.
The last stop I made was at the RIVERSIDE GENERAL HOSPITAL, in the pediatric ICU UNIT there I found Mikey on life support. Doctors consulted with me, there assessment of MIKEY’S condition was that if his brain activity & breathing patterns did not improve, I would have to decide to unplug the life support machines. I had never in my life up to this point ever asked GOD for anything .I sat by MIKEY that night and sang to him an IRISH LULLABY. I got on my knee’s and began to pray, all I wanted was for GOD to be with me that night. As I held on to MIKEY’S hand I began to feel a peace that all would be ok. I made a promise to GOD that if MIKEY lived no matter what condition, no matter what the outcome we would care for him as long as OUR LORD gave us the strength to do so. I would seal my promise to the LORD by making a pilgrimage to OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE in Jalisco, Mexico, by foot. I made the walk in 1984.
Our faith has been tested throughout the years. In June 1984, on our 15acre property in Winchester, my father was pinned under a John Deer Tractor. As I walked out our house I found my father pinned under the rear tractor tires unconscious. The engine would not turn on so that I could move him from underneath, I prayed to the LORD to not let him suffer underneath the tractor. I tried again to turn on the engine and it immediately started up. I pulled the tractor off him and held him till paramedic arrived. He died hrs later in the Emergency Room.
In October 1993 the fires that swept through the valley caught us by surprise. I had custom built our home on our property in Winchester in 1990. We only had a minutes warning that frightfulll morning at 3am when our son TONY woke us up after seeing the flames from his bedroom window. We only had minutes to get out of the house with nothing but what we were wearing. I carried MIKEY out and literally threw him into our van. As I drove my family to safety on the highway, there was nowhere to go. The road was covered with burning brush each way we tried to find safety. I finally prayed to GOD that he find us a way I didn’t want my family to burn to death. The LORD gave us safe passage as we drove through the fire.
When the doctors were ready to release MIKEY into our care after 5 months in ICU, they gave us two alternatives for his care. 1- we could put him into an institution where they would care for him or 2- We could take him home, but expect to care for him 24hrs a day, 7days a week. Without hesitation his mother chose to bring MIKEY home, where he would be surrounded by his family and a house full of GOD’S LOVE!!
MIKEY’S life expectancy was to be 3 to 5 years based on the seriousness of his injuries. That was not to be, for a MOTHERS LOVE, DEVOTION, DEDICATION, AFFECTION, & SACRIFICE for her son has given him a VOICE to be heard, EYES so to see and EARS so to hear, She has been his life line to this world we live in and because of this the LORD BLESSED US with 31yrs.
Never once did she complain of the hours and days she went without sleep. Never once did she fail to provide her son with the daily chores of bathing, feeding, medications, positioning him for comfort,
Scheduling doctors appointments and all that it took to care for her MIKEY.
An intricate part of MIKEY’S life was his GRANDMOTHER CORTEZ. She provided stability in our household. She was our NURSEY as we called her. Her love for her grandson was a shinning example to us of the richness of pure love. Every morning without fail I can find her in her bedroom reciting the HOLY ROSARY for all her children and grandchildren and great grandchildren. Her duties with MIKEY as well as watching over him was to make sure that he got fed on time and I am sure MIKEY was thankful for his grandma’s promptness
.
MIKEY, though he may not have been able to speak, I’m sure he has impacted many lives through our involment with MADD ORGANIZATION, presentations at elementary, middle, and high school events.
Driver ed classes, mandatory sobriety classes. His brother’s family, sister’s family, uncle’s & aunt’s, cousins, friends & acquaintances and especially his nephews KENNY & DYLAN, & niece IVY who gave him the biggest smoocher on his cheek this past Christmas day.
There are countless of people who have provided help with MIKEYS care over the 31yrs so many to mention that I would do an injustice if I failed to mention anyone individually. Know that you were all a Blessing to MIKEY & our lives. GOD brought you into our lives from every walk of life, from the DOCTORS, ICU NURSES, OUR NIGHT NURSES, MEDICAL SUPPLIES PROVIDERS, SOCIAL WORKERS, DIALYSIS STAFF & TRAINING TEAM, ALL THE MEDICAL PERSONAL THAT CAME TO OUR HOME TO PROVIDE FOR MIKEY’S CARE, THE YOUNG PARAMEDICS THAT TRANSPORTED MIKEY TO & FROM THE DYALISIS CENTER IN RIVERISIDE FOR 6 WEEKS.
Finally, though we shed tears and will go through the grieving process, we are at peace knowing that GOD IS ALL GOOD, and our MIKEY is finally at rest and in the presence of our LORD, enjoying the promises of CHRIST.
Sincerely,
Paul & Roonie Cortez
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