STUDENT LIFE SECTION

If you would like to be published in The Great Oak Gazette, please drop by room 357 or send an email to jboyatt@tvusd.k12.ca.us  

We have a page set aside for students that would like to write for the paper, but were unable to be in the journalsim class.  We are open to all submissions -- poetry, art, comics, opinions, photographs, student spotlights, etc.

The following is a eulogy for Alek written by his grandmother, Shirleena Manchur,  for the funeral. Below it, beginning "God Needed an Angel Named Alek," is a personal article also written by her as well that accounts Alek's struggle with cancer, and how the support of his family helped him through that time.

GOOD AFTERNOON,
My name is SHIRLEENA MANCHUR de ZARZOSA-ESCOBAR
I am the paternal-grandmother of Aleksandre Jesus Zarzosa (Alek).

FIRST OF ALL, I want to thank Andrea and my son, Jesus, for giving me three
beautiful grandsons that are the great loves of my life.

This past while has been the most difficult period of my life. I buried my beloved mother, ROSE MANCHUR at 92 1/2 years of age in Canada, on December 12, 2011. She passed away December 4, 2011.

Upon returning to the US I got the terrible news that my grandson, Aleksandre,
was in Rady's Children's Hospital in San Diego, California , diagnosed with Burkett's Lymphomatic cancer. His grandfather, Jesus, Sr. Zarzosa, who was with him at the time, after informing me, then passed the phone on to Alek, and Alek then asked me, “Baba, are you coming soon?” I told him I was on my way and would be there in a few days. That was the last time I spoke with Alek around December 21, 2011, I believe. This past month has been sheer hell for me.

I will mention a few tidbits about my relationship with Alek. Last year, Alek had a badly infected toenail, and I arranged for him to have surgery, and then I would look after him each day by bathing his feet in special salts and then massaging his foot with cream. He really loved that. I used to tease him, “Alek, when baba gets old and crinkly, will you help me bathe my feet?” He just smiled and said, “Oh baba, you always take such good care of me. Of course, I will.” Well, I guess now, I will have to bathe my feet myself.

Alek had such a kind heart. A couple of years ago, I made a big birthday party dinner for him and he got a lot of presents and maybe $100.00 in cash. On my birthday, when I picked him and his brothers from school, he suggested, “Baba,
I have some money now. Why don't I take you and my brothers out for your birthday lunch. Where do you want to go?” I was trying to think of the most economical place and suggested the Hometown Buffet. Well, we went there after school and because Mason and Nicolai were younger, I believe they got in for free and because me, baba, was a 'senior citizen,' I got in for half-price, and Alek paid child's fare. So he paid around $13.00 for all of us. He was so excited to treat me and said “Wow, baba, that's cheap!” I told him there are some advantages to having an older grandma. Anyway, we pigged out for two hours and had a ball.

This past June, I took my three grandsons to Canada, a 2100 mile trip each way, to celebrate my mother, their great-grandmother, Rose Manchur's 92nd birthday
on June 24, 2011. I wanted the boys to see how really far I, baba, used to travel by myself, driving two days and nights  and then some, to look after them these past few years.

Anyways, as we neared Las Vegas, 5 hours later, little Mason says, “Baba, are we in Canada yet?” And this went on as we got into Salt Lake City, and so on and so on, through Butte, Mont., through Billings, Mont., through Bismarck, N.D. up until Minot, N.D., when we ran into Minot's worst flooding within 500 years time. It was awful. Every road was redirected by the armed guards and we saw some terrible flooding situations. Anyway, it took us 4 hours to finally get out of Minot. What an ordeal for the kids to see. But we did finally made it to Canada.

When we were finally at ‘babushka's’ (Alek's great-grandmother's house), Alek would always get up in the morning and the first thing he would do is go and sit on the sofa next to her chair. He would always greet her with this big smile and say 'Good Morning, babushka.' How she waited for him in her special chair just to talk to him. She adored him and he her. Loretta Robak, a home-care staff, would come each morning to put on the 'support hose' for my mother and she saw this affection between them. She later wrote me that “babushka Rose is waiting for him in heaven to protect him from the bullies of this world.” And now, Alek shall be beside her and meet his great-grandfather, Peter Manchur, whom he never met, and his Uncle Leonard, my brother, whom he also did not meet, and many relatives from Alek's mother's side.

Alek and I were very close. He confided everything to me. He used to enjoy these long talks while we waited for school to start and he would ask me all kinds of questions about anything. One time I saw him very interested in some Vogue and fashion magazines, and he pointed out to some girls and said, “She's hot.”  Knowing he was coming into this age of curiosity at 15 years, like any other young man his age, I told him, “Alek, baba has a surprise for you.” Yes, this baba showed him his first 'Playboy' magazine. Yes, Alek, I know you are blushing up there in heaven, but that was our little secret. After looking at one, later he said, “Baba, do these girls really look like this?” This poor child entering manhood never even had a chance to experience his first kiss with a girl. His life snuffed out too fast.

Alek's Godfather, my nephew from Canada, Rick Manchur, arrived Tues, January 24^th, to see him at the hospital during the late morning. I kept telling Alek all the last week that his Godfather, Rick, was coming and for him to hang on, and bless his heart, he did. Anyway, Rick spent several hours with this totally sedated child
and then Alek started getting another complication of internal bleeding after a procedure was done to him to perform a catscan with dye. Sadly, that same afternoon the parents were called in and they both stayed with Alek to his last dying breath, which was around 6:30p.m. Rick was very touched, but terribly distraught.

Rick designed the beautiful black and/or white hats with 'WeLoveYouAlek' on them. They were sold to raise funds for medical and funeral expenses, which are still badly needed. If anyone would still like to order one, to honor Alek, please get in touch with my son, Jesus Zarzosa. They are $20.00 a hat

Alek has touched the hearts of everyone, and his final message was that although he was a child full of love and a gentle soul, maybe a bit shy and quiet, to make other students aware everywhere to be kind to one another, stop bullying one another. If someone is shy YOU take the first step to get to know them. You don't know what that child may have gone through, and a life can change in seconds and you may never see them again, as was the case with Alek.

I would like to personally thank the GEAT OAK SCHOOL AND ALL THEIR STAFF
for all their generous donations and sales of hats, food gifts, prayers and support to my family. Also to Alek's middle school and their staff at GARDNER MIDDLE SCHOOL for their support and prayers and also to Nicolai's and Mason's REDHAWK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL and their staff.

We were deeply touched by the 22 students from GREAT OAK HIGH SCHOOL that came to the funeral services of Alek at CORNERSTONE CHURCH in Wildomar from Alek's class. To see their tears streaming down their cheeks as each one offered their final condolences to me and my family, would have made Alek smile in heaven with much gratitude.

Also, we'd like to thank CORNERSTONE CHURCH and their Pastor, BILL AANESTAD, and ENGLAND MORTUARY that helped our family through such a difficult journey and did such a spectacular job. They also made a video which I am anxious to see and keep as a treasured memento of Alek.
Again, we'd like to thank all relatives and friends for their prayers and support.

Now, there is someone very special that has come into my family's life, my son's girlfriend, PAULA ASHTON. Paula, I don't have words enough to express my love and gratitude for being such an enormous support to our son, Jesus during one of the most painful periods of his life. I welcome you into our family with open arms. I know you have been there for my son 24/7. Thank you.

Alek really loved you, and so do the other boys, Nicolai and Mason. Alek paid you a nice compliment not long ago saying that now he really loved this new family situation. You will be the daughter I never had. Also, I want to thank all your family members for being so supportive to my son and our family. You all are very kind people and thank you.

And last, but not least, I'd like to thank Alek's Aunt Erica for taking care of all the beautiful flowers for Alek's funeral. They were gorgeous. Also, a special thanks for all the other flower arrangements from relatives, near and far even from Mexico City from Alek's Aunt Titi Picazzo and her family. I want to give a very special thanks to my son's closest lifelong friend, JUSTIN LAKIN, who has always been there for my son and myself. He is my other son. A very special thanks to his KIND mother, ANN LAKIN, who spent several days and nights with Alek towards the end when we could not be there. Thank you for all family and relatives that came often to visit Alek along with his mother, Andrea, to have to endure such a tragic loss.
A very special thanks to Alek's grandfather, Jesus Zarzosa, and Raquel, for all the many trips they made to spend days and nightss with Alek. He loved his 'abuelito.'

MAY ALEK REST IN PEACE AND HE IS NOW OUR ANGEL. GOD BLESS YOU ALEK. 

G O D  N E E D E D   A N O T H E R   A N G E L   NA M E D  “ALEK”

Written by his ‘baba’ (paternal-grandmother)

Shirleena Manchur de Zarzosa-Escobar

WHO was ALEKSANDRE ZARZOSA?

WHAT was his mission for this brief period on earth?

They say God has a purpose for all of us. It seems Alek's purpose was fulfilled. We, who are left here on earth to mourn the loss of this innocent, young child, about to enter manhood at 15 years of age, still are trying desperately to understand why.

WHY God took him so early.  These are life's mysteries we shall forever struggle to understand, but Alek is under God's care now and at peace after a horrible month of suffering complication after complication, staying alive only on life support!

Supposedly, he was to be in the best children's hospital in San Diego, Rady's Children's Hospital, where something went terribly wrong when they decided to give him an MRI, and gave him a gas mask for anesthesia. He got a terrible allergic reaction that caused him to have a cardiac arrest, followed by kidney failure, and he was on kidney dialysis the whole time, followed by a nearly collapsed lung, then fluid around his lungs and heart.  He was on respirator breathing all this time, heavily sedated. Twice the doctors wrote him off by telling the family members to pay their last respects, but Alek kept fighting on.

I recall, maybe a couple of weeks I came in to visit him on the weekend, and I noticed they took out the tubes from his mouth from the respirator and he had a small oxygen mask on.  As I entered the room, I recall getting close to him and talking to him.  He slowly opened his eyes and looked my way and I asked if he knew who I was and he acknowledged with a slight shake of the head.  I told him that I was sleeping many nights in a cot, watching over him.  I asked if he could talk.  I said to him, “Can you say, ‘baba, I love you'?” and to my surprise, he mouthed through his mask, “baba, I love you.”  I shall never forget that moment, as I really wanted him to know that we were all there for him. Later, his grandfather and his wife went in after me and they spent about an hour where Alek acknowledged them as well.  That would be the last time both grandparents would get as close to Alek understanding we were there.

The next morning when I woke up behind his bed, I noticed a flurry of nurses hovering over him in a panic, indicating that he was breathing too shallow with this oxygen mask, and then they placed this huge mask, looking like something out of Star Wars, and Alek kept trying to pull it off.  He was really struggling with it, and uncomfortable as it was, it was pushing in 100% oxygen to get him to breathe more deeply.  They finally had to sedate him so he would not fight this mask. Then later that day, they again had to insert the breathing tube in his mouth and do another procedure on him to remove the fluid around his lung and heart.

Next came the killer of all complications.  Somehow he picked up a fungal infection in that room, number 344, which started on his lip, and caused it to turn black. He was restricted from visitors the whole week, other than parents, and we didn't know what the heck was going on. They finally told all the family members to come in as this fungal infection was spreading rapidly.  It already ate up half his bottom lip and 3/4 of his upper lip, which just became all black, and it started spreading in his mouth, shriveling up his tongue. This was devastating. This fungus was called mucormycosis-zygomycosis. Due to some chemo treatments Alek had for his Burkett's lymphomatic cancer, his white blood cell count was down to zero, and he could not fight this infection.  They later started to inject white booster blood cells along with 3 strong anti-fungal antibiotics to stop this infection, but what damage was done was irreversible…

That afternoon family and friends were allowed to pay their last respects to Alek, and I told the nurse who changed him not to sedate Alek too much for a little while so that my son could bring in his two little brothers Nicolai, 10 years old, and Mason, 6 years old, to see their brother. 

Something so touching occurred that will be etched in our minds forever.  As my son proceeded to bring in the brothers, he told Nicolai to speak to Alek to let him know he was there.  Nicolai proceeded to say, “Hi Alek, this is Nicolai,” and out of nowhere, Alek flung his right hand in the direction of Nicolai. I told Nicolai, “Honey, grab his hand, he is reaching out to you.” Nicolai and my son just burst into tears at that moment, as we all did. They held hands for some time, and Alek tried to open his eyes to acknowledge Nicolai.  My son then lifted Mason to touch Alek's forehead and say hello to him, and Alek looked his way.  What a moment that was. That evening there were abut 20 family and friends, and somehow Alek recognized each individual and in his own way acknowledged each person for the last time.

Shortly after the nurse came in and said she had to sedate him more, so he did not have to suffer the pain he was going through with the infection spreading. They said he was on some paralytic drug to keep him semi-paralyzed, and as comfortable as possible. I recall whenever we tried later to speak to him, or when I recited the Lord's Prayer, Alek always acknowledged us with a tear coming down the side of his face. That was so touching.

Then, on that fateful day, Tuesday, January 24, 2012, before he passed away, I kept telling him earlier that his Godfather, my nephew from Canada, Rick Manchur was coming to see him, and for him to hang in there. Well, he did as long as he could. Rick came in the morning and spent several emotional hours with him, when his blood pressure started going down due to internal bleeding. His mother and father were then called in to comfort him to his last dying breath, when he passed away around 6:30 p.m. His suffering was finally over, and ours was just to begin. They did a cat scan on him that morning, and put some of that dye to see how far the fungus had spread, and this caused his internal bleeding and the end.

Now, what a heavy cross this innocent young boy carried.  What a fight he put up. This all lasted one month, that he was kept alive by life support only.  He didn't deserve to suffer this way. Maybe God wanted to show us what a fighter he was.

Alek had a beautiful funeral service at the Cornerstone Church in Wildomar, with about 150 guests on Febuary 2, 2012. What touched our family the most was the 22 students who attended, and teachers, etc., that came from Great Oak High School to honor Alek. To see tears streaming down their cheeks as each one stood in line to hug my son, Paula, and myself as they offered their final condolences, is something we shall never forget. Alek must have been so touched with gratitude watching this from heaven.  Thank you, students and staff at Great Oak.  Also, thank you so much for all the generosity and kindness to our family.

Alek was born October 17, 1996. His father, Jesus Zarzosa, Jr., only 18 years of age at that time, while embracing his little boy at birth, never ever expected at 33 years old, he would relinquish him back to God as he laid him to rest.

The burial was beautiful at the Temecula Cemetery. Alek was buried amongst beautiful big trees.

 I must not forget the innocence of Alek's little brother Mason, who is 6 years old, when he came to sit beside me facing the burial hole where Alek's coffin was to be lowered, and Mason looked down and said, “Baba, what is this for?” As I choked up trying to explain, I said that Alek will be sleeping here, forever in peace, but that he is now in heaven watching us. I then proceeded to show Mason some of the tombstones nearby, where others were resting, and said they were also angels  in heaven.

The children all threw flowers on Alek's casket as it was lowered, and then a bunch of red balloons were let go by the children to honor Alek in the heavens above.

MAY ALEK REST IN PEACE

HE WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN, AND HE WILL BE DEARLY MISSED

Written by his 'baba' (paternal-grandmother)

Shirleena Manchur de Zarzosa-Escobar