Grief turned to giving: Mom honors her son through annual toy drive

By Madison Thomas

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    TUCSON, Arizona (KGUN) — In April of 2018, one Tucson mom got the news no parent ever wants to receive – her son, Gabriel, died in a car crash.

Gabriel was just seven and a half months old at the time of his passing.

“There’s no healing,” his mom, Clarissa Torres said. “It’s worse as time goes, they said it should get better, it doesn’t get better – you’re always missing a part of you.”

Since then, Torres has worked to keep her son’s memory alive. Every year, she hosts ‘Baby Gabriel’s Toy Drive’ in his honor.

“He liked to dance with his little hands, he smiled, he loved food – he was just starting out on food, table food,” Torres said. “My older kids played with him a lot; they played a big role in his life.”

All donated items from the toy drive are given to Aviva Children’s Services, where they are then distributed to kids.

“I thought I needed to do something, so that he’s not forgotten, so that my son is there,” she said.

Torres and her family will be picking up the donations on Aug. 25, which would have been Gabriel’s eighth birthday.

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