Immokalee family loses 4th loved one to COVID-19, have special wish

A heartbroken family in Immokalee is grappling with the loss of a fourth loved one to COVID-19.

Their father fought the virus for weeks and hoped to have a bilateral lung transplant, but Raul Diaz died last Saturday.

The Diaz family is preparing for his funeral, and they want to lay him to rest in style. He never got his dream car, so they hope someone with it can lead his funeral.

“It’s been a tragedy what we’ve been through,” son Luis Diaz said.

In May, the family grasped onto faith. They cheered when their dad was his own battle with COVID-19 and was taken to Tampa from NCH.

Raul was approved for a bilateral lung transplant because COVID-19 destroyed his own. In order to have the surgery, he needed to get better first.

But now, the family is grieving their fourth loss to COVID-19.

“My grandfather passed away. My uncle passed away. My grandmother passed away, and my father passed away Saturday,” son Wilfredo Diaz said.

They want to make their dad’s dream come true even in death.

They’re hoping someone out there has a 1957 Chevy Bel Air, their dad’s dream car, to lead the way during his funeral.

“My father was my mechanic, my father was my electrician, my father was my plumber, my father was my everything, and when this first started, my car had messed up, and it was very difficult to not be able to reach out to him to come fix something for me,” Luis said. “I have depended on him my entire life, and it is very hard with what we are going through.”

If you happen to own the Raul’s dream car, the Diaz family would love to hear from you. They can be reached at (239) 503-0579.