GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A Grand Rapids family is still searching for the right words to describe how they feel, after their 9-year-old son died unexpectedly in his sleep less than 48 hours ago.
“It’s like nightmare, where I just want to wake up and be, like, it’s not true," said Salvador Oliveros.
Salvador and his wife, Jessica, opened La Huasteca in 2016. The popular Mexican restaurant in the Creston neighborhood usually welcomes in quite a crowd during the lunch hour.
On Tuesday, there was an emptiness inside their business from more than just the missing customers.
"He will always be in my heart," Salvador said. "That will always, always remember him. His smile. That way he laughed. He was everything to me.”
All Salvador and Jessica can do now is hold onto the memory of their youngest son: Iker.
“He loved making videos, make people laugh," Salvador said. "Even on our Facebook page, we have a couple of videos of him dancing. They went up to 1,000 views. He was so excited. He was so happy. When he saw that, he's like, 'Papa, one day I want to be a YouTuber. I want people to see my videos and make them happy.' He was the best.”
Salvador's birthday was on Saturday, and the family was out celebrating on Sunday. He said they ate food, came home, and turned on Sunday Night Football.
Everything was normal.
“He went to his room. He played better games. It was time for bed, so he can go to school the next day," Salvador said. "Next day, we woke up, he was gone. He wasn't breathing. His body was purple.”
Salvador tried to do CPR while Jessica called 911, but it was already too late.
Iker was gone.
"About 2 a.m... he went to my room. He told me he was thirsty," Salvador said. "I gave him a bottle of water. He said, 'Thank you, Papa. I love you. Good night. See you tomorrow.' That was the last time. Those were his last words to us.”
Their son, dead at just nine years old, with no idea how it happened.
While the family awaits autopsy results, La Huasteca will stay closed.
In the meantime, other restaurant owners are stepping in to help.
“It's so hard," said Jenna Arcidiacono, the owner of Amore Trattoria Italiana, who most people know as Chef Jenna. "I have a restaurant, and my kids grew up in the restaurant. My kids were always here. So, knowing that everyone that visited already knew him, you know, and we're watching him grow up.... also not knowing what happened, has to be just, just totally, totally devastating.”
Salvador said Iker was such a positive spirit, even loving things most people would not.
“He loved to answer the phone and take orders, even if he were just to (say), 'Hold on one second, please,'" Salvador said.
Iker also loved WWE. Salvador had tickets ready for an upcoming match in Chicago.
“That was gonna meet his birthday surprise for November, but now he's gone," Salvador said.
Instead of planning that surprise, the family is now planning their son's funeral.
It's a dark, depressing reality, from which only Iker himself could help them heal.
“He was never mad," Salvador said. "He was never angry. He was always happy. Always joking. Always. He was always happy.”
No parent should ever have to bury their own child, but one thing giving them hope is the incredible response from the community.
Chef Jenna said she raised $1,000 at an event over the weekend. She told FOX 17 she'll be sending all that money to the family.
A GoFundMe has also been set up. You can donate by clicking this link.
