Julio, Rest in Peace

We just learned some sad news yesterday.

Margaret e-mailed to say that our little friend Julio passed away a few days ago. He was about 7 or 8 years old, and was born with HIV. He had grown increasingly ill these past few years and, with heavy hearts, we recognized that this was coming.

Julio’s mother passed away a few years ago, and his father is currently struggling with the same disease. He was in and out of the hospital on our last trip, and Margaret says he is back in again.

Julio passed away on July 23rd, and was buried on July 24th.

Here are some of the last pictures we took of Julio and his family. The stuffed animals Julio and his sister Mphatso hold are gifts from a child here in Portland. Thank you for thinking of and remembering our friends in this trying time.

~ Cara Pattison