MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – As an organ donor, Rafael Garcia -- a Miami firefighter, paramedic and diver -- saved lives until the end.
It all happened so fast, Maeghan Garcia said. After showing up at South Miami Hospital March 15, because he was feeling unwell, doctors found a mass in his brain. Two days later he was taken to University of Miami Hospital, where he had emergency surgery Sunday. After magnetic resonance imaging, doctors pronounced him brain dead on Monday.
Colleagues were mourning the loss of the hero they nicknamed "Robertico" and "Ralphie." Some who knew him thought he had died of brain cancer. But doctors did not know if the tumor was malignant. There were tears and frustration. He was on life support until Tuesday, because he still had lives to save.
"My love is finally resting in peace," his wife said on Facebook about 9:17 p.m. The transplant team told the family that "his heart had officially stopped beating and that he went quickly and without pain."
The 28-year-old father-to-be saved three more lives through his death. He left behind his pregnant wife, who is set to give birth to a boy in May. He was to be named Mason James, but now he will be named Mason Rafael.
The widow's hope, she said, is that those three people reach out to her. But she understands if they choose not to, because they have a right to anonymity, she said.
"It would be an honor to meet the individuals who have a piece of my hero living inside of them," she said on Facebook. "I also think that would be an amazing experience for Mason."
The mother-to-be said on Facebook that she was feeling anxious early Thursday morning when she opened one of her drawers and found the note that her hero gave her on their third wedding anniversary.
"I believe God does have a plan for everyone and assigns people the crosses they bear, the burdens, and hardships and the journeys," he said in the letter she kept. "I think we are given what we can handle."
His words gave her and their loved ones strength. The family was not alone on Wednesday and Thursday. Firefighters and police officers from all over South Florida were in South Miami-Dade County to say goodbye.
Fire trucks and rescue units followed the processions. The first was from the University of Miami Hospital in downtown Miami to Caballero Funeral Home, 8200 SW Bird Rd., Wednesday. St. Kevin Catholic Church, 12525 SW 42nd St., was full during his funeral mass Thursday morning. A U.S. flag covered his casket before the burial at Our Lady of Mercy, 11411 NW 25 St.
A college fund for baby Mason was set up with $3,000 on Monday. By Thursday, the fund had grown to $171,625 through 2,667 donations and hundreds of posts full of love. Some of the donors included The Miami Heat's Adrianne Bosh, Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez and students from Our Lady of Lourdes Academy, St. Brendan High School and Christopher Columbus High.
An anonymous post for the widow said, "I do not know you personally, but have been thinking of you, praying for you and praying for the repose of Ralf's soul." The Faraldo-Padron family said on the fund's post, "incredible how people we have not met can often impact our lives so deeply."
Diego Mella said he wished the family "all the strength in the world." Jen Moffitt said, "Ralf's light touched every person who knew him." There were also public promises made to the fallen hero.
"Rest assured Meaghan and baby Mason will be taken care of," Matthew Conway said. "Rest easy my friend. I love you brother."
SOLIDARITY WITH FIREFIGHTERS
Show support: Rafael Garcia's son Mason's college fund on GoFundMe
Download: Social media profile photo in support of Miami Fire Department