Funeral and Memorial for Christopher Rodriguez

Hello, my name is Emilio Anorve and this fundraiser is for my nephew Christopher Rodriguez and his family (my sister Claudia and her two children) to assist them with funeral costs and to find a secure and stable home.

Christopher was born with several medical conditions including cerebral palsy, paralysis, seizures, and a variety of developmental and intellectual disabilities. Early in his life his mother Claudia learned Christopher would be unable to speak or move and that he had a maximum expected life span of seven years filled with health complications, surgeries, procedures and hospital visits. Christopher couldn’t speak, but he could radiate joy with his laugh. He couldn’t move, but he could bat his eyes to flirt with nurses and smile at you to make you feel his love. Christopher loved balloons, 80s music, and Disneyland —especially zipping around Space Mountain!—but he was happiest surrounded by his siblings, his mother, and his extended family. Unfortunately, last fall Christopher contracted COVID-19 and pneumonia and the combination was too much, leading to heart, lung, and kidney complications he could not overcome. Christopher passed on February 21, 2023, surrounded by his loved ones.

Despite Christopher’s numerous health challenges and conditions, he defied all odds and made it beyond seven years, living to be 29 years old. How was this possible? Because of Christopher’s fighting spirit and the selfless dedication of his mother Claudia, who refused to have him institutionalized and provided constant 24/7 loving care, attending to his every need. As a devoted single mom of three children, Claudia is currently struggling to find a home for her family after her landlord unlawfully evicted them over nine months ago from the home where she raised and cared for her family for over 12 years. Claudia has a twenty-two-year-old daughter, Celine, who is a junior in college, and a sixteen-year-old son Martin Jr. (affectionately known as Boo-Boo), who was born with Down Syndrome. Celine and Boo-Boo’s father, Marty, passed away from liver cancer just six months after Boo-Boo was born, leaving Claudia widowed at 35 to raise her family.

As you can imagine, caring for children with special needs such as Christopher and Boo-Boo is not an easy undertaking under the best of circumstances, let alone while experiencing homelessness. In addition, Claudia took in her mother after she was widowed nearly seven years ago. The eviction destabilized routines and separated Claudia's family across Southern California, and despite her efforts to try to find a home while attending to Christopher's ongoing care and declining health, she was unable to. However, with her quiet strength and dignity, Claudia has always persevered despite the challenges she’s faced to give her children all the support and love they need to thrive even while battling her own health issues. Claudia suffers from Crohn’s disease, an illness that has taken a toll on her for nearly 30 years, but she has always put her children’s needs ahead of her own. It has been incredibly difficult to attend to her own health needs while moving between places to stay offered by her family. Yet, Claudia has been resolute, never complaining, always stating “God gave me these children because he knew I would love and take care of them,” and anyone who knows her knows that she has done so with all of her heart.

Today as Claudia and her children prepare to say goodbye to their beloved Christopher, we ask for your support and generosity. We are hoping to raise $10,000 to assist with paying for funeral costs and helping the family find a permanent residence. Claudia needs the security of a stable residence so she can care for Boo-Boo and get him the services and support he requires, and take care of her mother, while also tending to her own health needs. Please share this fundraiser to get Claudia the resources she needs to honor Christopher and find a permanent home for her family.