Well, car updates came to a hault yesterday.
I have been down in Orlando working on the car at Excessive Engineering, which is my ex-husband’s, (and still best friend) shop. Dennis is the one I always give all the credit for what I have learned in motorsports and how far I have gone. We have a relationship many do not understand: even though he and I are divorced, we have remained the best of friends.
Dennis and his wife Tina, recently welcomed their first son, Aiden Lope Lugo on October 8th. He was a month early, but everything was going great. Proud Papa and Momma were doing great, and knowing how long he had wanted to be a father, I was so very happy for him and his new family.
However, yesterday Dennis and Tina took little Aiden to the hospital while in North Carolina with a fever. No one was braced for what would follow a mere hour later… Aiden suddenly became critical and stopped breathing. At his small size, the hospital tried to save him, but were unsuccessful.
Words cannot explain how devastated I am for Dennis and Tina. Its times like this that make you really aware how precious life is and how inconsequential other small stuff really is in comparison. I cannot imagine the pain that they are enduring now, and feel so helpless to ease their sorrow in any way.
What was to be a two week, all important, labor-intensive thrash on my racecar has now turned into a time of sorrow and condolences. What is important right now, is my best friend and his family and doing whatever I can to try and help them bear this weight on their hearts.
For friends and family of the Lugos, please email me for arrangement information. We are collecting small donations to help offset the funeral arrangement costs of bringing Aiden home to Florida. If you would like to help, please email me at ericao [at] horsepowerandheels [dot] com.
Remember how precious life is, and how trivial all the day-to-day problems truly are in the grand scheme of things.
