Quinta Stargell
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| Me and Tre' |
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| My husband and Tre' |
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| One of my favorite pictures of my amazing son |
I'm the proud mother of Tre' who passed away on February 12, 2010. For the next year after his death, I spent
time trying to learn how to live and function again without my son. I
stopped dancing all together. I found myself merely existing and my
health deteriorating. Then I had the epiphany that if my son had my DNA,
he would want me to continue to live as if his life had just begun not
ended. I decided I would do everything I could to make God and Tre’
proud. I quit my job and became a stay at home wife. I decided to start
teaching Zumba as a means to get back in shape and start dancing again. I
hate working out so I knew the only way for me to be consistent was to
teach something. I went through Zumba instructor training July 2010.
Though I was determined, I could barely get through one song. I put the
certification away and didn’t think about teaching again until January
2011. I received my first teaching opportunity at Alabama A & M
University Health and Wellness Center. Thanks to the help and support
from other instructors, family, and friends, the teaching opportunities
started rolling in. I taught my first full class at Huntsville Hospital
Wellness Center Jones Valley on the anniversary of Tre’s death February
12, 2011. Even though my heart is still heavy from losing my son, his
memory still lives on in me. Each time I dance or teach a Zumba class, I
know Tre’ is smiling and dancing with me. Losing a child is not
something you ever get over. It is something you learn to live through.
Each day I live, love, dance, and pray. I am thankful for Tre’ and the
time I had to spend with him on earth. I hope my life continues to
uplift and inspire others, the same way his life inspires and uplifts
me.
Tiffany Torres
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| My husband and I with Julius in Oct 2010 |
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| My amazing son and I the day before he passed away |
I'm the proud mother of Julius Luciano, who passed away in 2010. Since then, I've been trying to do my part to educate people about SIDS/SUID, and honor my son in different ways. My husband and I are starting a non-profit organization called
"In His Name - The Julius Luciano Torres Foundation" in order to assist other families that are facing the devastation of losing a child to SIDS in Alabama and Tennessee. I've been a Zumba instructor since 2007, and am thrilled to be able to partner with Quinta and use this as a way of raising awareness about SIDS, raising funding for a couple of organizations that provide resources and support to other hurting families, and honoring our sons.
