Nikia, Cristos & Bella Lopez
Cristos and Isabella Lopez burial:
The Celebration of life at Grace Point Church had over 400 supporting people from the community. Friends, family, classmates, educators, first responders and one of the 911 callers were all in attendance. Physically and emotionally drained Nikia composed herself, stood up and addressed the community at the podium with what could only be described as emotional and inspirational words that left everyone in tears. The community is devastated at how such a tragedy has unfolded for Nikia in less than 12 hours after dropping her kids off at their father's for the weekend. Below are the news coverage and the slideshow that was shown during the service at the church.
https://youtu.be/ZIFszicghLM
https://youtu.be/2Z-eGN4lLVk
It is unimaginable for a parent to lose a young child. But can you imagine losing two of them at one time in a fire? Isabella Lopez was just 7 years old. Her brother Cristos, who was her trusted protector, was just 10. A few minutes after 3 AM on October 28th, the kids were sleeping when a fire broke out in their father's Rancho Bernardo condo. Cristos and Isabella didn't make it out alive. Their father Henry, survived but he is in the ICU. (He and his wife, Nikia are separated.) As you can imagine, Nikia is beyond devastated. She is broken. Those children were her life. Now, on top of with mourning the death of her two kids, who died so tragically, the mother is worried about how she will pay for her children's medical and funeral costs. This is where we are asking for your help. We would sincerely appreciate any amount you can donate to the mother.
Cristos was a 5th grader at Sunset Hills Elementary school. He loved playing basketball and was the MVP of his basketball team. He dreamed of playing professionally. But he also thought about being a banker because he was so good at math. And whenever you saw Cristos, he always had the biggest, warmest and most infectious smile for you. Even at just 10 years old, he always asked how you were doing with a quirky shyness that matched his caring personality. His family adored him. So did his friends and classmates. No doubt, he WILL missed.
Little Isabella was the family firecracker. She had a spark that proved she could do anything. And she wasn’t afraid to speak her mind. Even though she was the baby sister, she acted like Cristos’ big sister, as she liked to watch over him. As a second grader at Sunset Hills Elementary, she loved reading and wanted to become a doctor. She loved helping people. Most knew her as “Bella”. And if she saw you from across the room, she would go out of her way just to say hello.
When firefighters arrived, Cristos, Isabella and their father were all unconscious. Firefighters carried the children out of the burning home and rushed them to the hospital but they would not survive. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Cristos and Isabella were more than just siblings. They were best friends. Nothing will bring those children back but we hope you can help at least ease the financial burden as they lay their beloved children to rest. Thank you for your help!
-Donald and Sam
Cristos and Bella Lopez you will be remembered and not forgotten.
