My beloved uncle, Rafael Landrau

Yesterday, at 2:57 am, my family suffered an immense and unimaginable loss. Just 17 days after his 60th birthday, my uncle Rafael suffered a medical emergency in which an aneurysm tore open and cut off circulation to his legs. He was airlifted from his local hospital in Pennsylvania to the University of Maryland Medical Center for emergency surgery. After several grueling hours of surgery, the doctors were able to restore blood flow to his legs, preventing amputation. The plan was to then transport him into emergency open heart surgery to repair the tear. However, my uncle was left fighting for his life on an ECMO machine. My uncle coded multiple times. Although the doctors made their best efforts, my uncle succumbed to his condition.

He was a mountain of a man, standing at 6 feet and weighing 224 lbs. He looked like an American Gladiator. Known lovingly by his family as Dada and by his friends as Hoya (a nickname he was given while playing stickball in the Bronx, NY), he was just our jolly giant. I always looked up to him, literally and figuratively speaking. A true lover of life, he sought adventure, loved the beach and soaking in the sun, and couldn’t live without the gym. He pushed to live a healthy lifestyle and squeezed every drop of juice out of the lemons life handed to him. He commanded attention and spread joy and laughter throughout every room he entered. He made friends, everywhere. His massive bear hugs were the best.

Due to our physical distance, we didn’t get to spend as much time together in recent years as I would’ve liked but I’d always call him on the phone. I’d last spoken with him on his birthday, on January 10th. I called and as usual, he answered with a smile that warmed my heart and he happily exclaimed, “Hi my baby! How are you? I’m so happy you called!” And he always was. And if I were ever sad or worried when I called him, I felt better when we hung up because by then, he’d already cracked a joke or two to remind me that it would all eventually be okay.

The Christmas before last, we gathered at my cousin's new home in Connecticut for a mini family reunion, during which he and my mother danced, we shared lots of laughs, ate together, and of course, we all listened to him sing Frank Sinatra on the karaoke machine (this was kind of his thing).

He adored all of us. He expressed it with his words and his actions. He could help you find a silver lining in every passing cloud. And you could hear him laughing from a mile away. A big guy with a hearty appetite not just for food but for living.

He is survived by his mother and father (my grandparents, Aida and Ralph), my mother (his only sibling, Lorraine), two daughters he raised as his own (Annika and Lexi), myself, and my brother Christian (his only niece and nephew), cousins, an aunt, and his girlfriend Christina. And let’s not forget all of the friends he collected and kept along the way, many of whom consider him a brother.

We are a family of little means and were unprepared for this event. Being that my uncle passed away at the hospital in Maryland, his body will have to be transported to New York, where his family resides. We were not able to see or speak with him before he passed and so, our final goodbyes will be said while standing over his casket. I hope that we can find some peace and solace in being able to hold a proper funeral service and burial for him.

On behalf of my family, I deeply and sincerely appreciate any contributions that you can make to assist us in making this happen. Again, these funds will be used to cover any costs associated with funeral expenses and burial costs. At this time, services are being arranged. As soon as we have an exact date, we will share this information.