Finding a way to move forward
Local family works to rebuild their lives following loss of 9-year-old daughter
A local family has had to deal with one of the worst tragedies imaginable: The loss of a child.
Following a long battle with a highly aggressive brain tumor, 9-year-old Mirella Quintero passed away on Sept. 4, according to her mother, Tiffanie Quintero.
“It’s something that no one should have to go through,” said Quintero.
Although Mirella’s tumor originally receded in 2015, following multiple rounds of chemotherapy, it returned in February of 2017. Mirella was discharged from Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital in Palo Alto on June 15 when doctors gave her approximately two months left to live.
Tiffanie and her husband, Manuel, both quit their jobs to focus on making their daughter’s last few months as comfortable as possible, including throwing her a 9th birthday party one month early on June 16. Around Aug. 23, Mirella became unresponsive, before passing away on Sept. 4.
Her funeral was held at Life Song Church in Stockton on Sept. 14, and was attended by approximately 100 people, according to Tiffanie. Now, the Quinteros and their three other children, ages 10, 4 and 2, are attempting to continue with their lives as best they can.
“There have been a lot of changes, it’s been really hard. I’m trying to stay strong for my boys, and let them know that it’s OK to grieve, I have to struggle not to break down in front of them. My husband and I both quit our jobs, now we’re trying to find jobs while giving ourselves enough time to grieve,” said Tiffanie. “We take our kids to visit her, it helps them to understand what’s going on. We just try to keep them busy so that they don’t sit inside feeling sad. We’ve begun to look for grief counseling, both for ourselves and our children. Our Sunday school pastor has helped our oldest son. It helps him to have somebody to talk to besides his family so he can understand what happened.”
Bristol Hospice’s Chaplain and Bereavement Coordinator Hilde Brooks said that one of the most important ways to help somebody grieve
the loss of a child is to be an active listener, and to understand that everybody’s grieving process is a little different. Although the process depends a lot on the grieving person’s religious beliefs, Brooks added, one thing that anybody can do is to let them know that whatever they are going through is normal.
Brooks also added that she provides bereavement counseling services, free of charge, at Bristol Hospice in Stockton, located at 5757 Pacific Ave. Bristol Hospice can be reached at 209473-3650.
Compassionate Friends is a nonprofit organization that provides various services for families grieving the loss of a child, including a free care package, customized to meet each family’s needs based on the age of the child they lost. The Sacramento Valley Chapter meets the third Friday of every month on the second floor of St. Mark’s United Methodist Church, located at 2391 St. Marks Way, Sacramento, and can be reached at 916-457-4096.
To help cover the costs of the funeral, the Quintero Family has set up a PayPal account, and is asking for donations from the community. Those wishing to donate can do so at