Roberto Sanchez, a Crest resident and only child, is grieving the unimaginable loss of both parents within less than two weeks. His father, Roberto Sanchez Sr., a former USDA agricultural inspector, died of a heart attack in Mexico in late January. Just 12 days later, his mother Josefina was killed in a suspected DUI head-on crash on La Cresta Road.

Josefina Sanchez had come from Mexico to visit her son, with hopes of staying in the United States. On Feb. 11, she drove to a nearby store to buy hotdog buns for lunch and never returned. When she didn't come home, Roberto tracked her phone to the collision site, where he prayed for a miracle that never came. She was pronounced dead at the scene after a 30-year-old El Cajon woman allegedly crossed the center line and struck her vehicle head-on.

"At night, when I'm alone, it hits me hard," Sanchez told 10 News, describing a "flood of confusion and sadness." He wants his mother remembered as "kind, hardworking, always laughing, cheerful."

Roberto's daughter, Vanesa Galeano, has launched a GoFundMe to help the family cover funeral costs, travel expenses, and the unexpected financial burdens of losing both grandparents in quick succession. "My grandma was deeply loved, and she loved us so well," Galeano wrote. "She always made the effort to show up for our milestones — birthdays, graduations, important moments — no matter the distance."

For Santee and East County neighbors who want to help, donations can be made at the family's [GoFundMe page](https://www.gofundme.com/f/prayers-and-support-for-our-family-after-tragic-loss).

*Originally reported by [East County Magazine](https://www.eastcountymagazine.org/crest-man-loses-both-parents-days-fundraiser-started-help-family).*