Leidy Cruz

Leidy Cruz


Sunrise:
September 1, 1978 was the day the beautiful spirit of a princess warrior shined her light on the world.  She was born to Ada Cruz and Jose Cruz and they named her Leidy.  Born in Manhattan she was raised in a city that moves fast and can be very cold but she would always slow down to be with her family and friends. Her warmth, caring and giving nature were very present. She lived her life to the fullest and loved her daughter Jaylene beyond words and to say how she loved each family member, from the smallest to the oldest.
 
 

Sunset:
July 4, 2020 was the day her light left our earth and is now shinning from heaven. Her sunset was only after being an inspiration to all those around her. She was diagnosed with a terrible disease but she was never a patient living with Synovial Sarcoma cancer but a warrior fighting cancer. Throughout those 5 years she endured the chemo and pain and hospital stays, as long as she was surrounded with her family, she kept positive and full of hope. She smiled to all of us, shared her journey and showed us there is no darkness, only light. She read every medical study and every report and never did she speak like a victim. She was strong, a fighter and very inspirational to many whom looked up to her as a Hero… “if she can do it, I can do it”. She spoke like an intelligent woman who knew she would leave behind all those she loves. Some of her last words, was to tell her family and everyone that she loves them.  She is shining down on all of us and will forever be the reason we smile when we think of her.
 

She is joining the three brightest stars in the sky, her brother Jacob, cousins Meleny, Ari and other love ones. She is survived by her parents Ada and Jose, her daughter Jaylene and her sister Nina. She is also survived by her mama, papa, aunts, uncles, cousins, Shaun, other relatives and friends.
 

  Leidy’s Eulogy 
  By Cousin German Roman

Leidy was my cousin, but more like a sister. All of us cousins were raised that way and I commend the parents of my generation for raising all of us to be so close. I’ve had people from the outside tell me what a blessing that is as there are a lot of families who are not that way, and I see it being carried on to the next generation of children. There were 2 sides to Leidy: the Family side and the Warrior side. First her family side. She loved each and every one of us so much and we all loved her back. She wanted to be a part of any family event no matter how big or small, and even gutted it out at times when she was sick from treatment to attend. She just wanted to be around her family no matter who they were. She even helped get a few of us jobs back in the day. She was very selfless. I’m going to miss our family movie and dinner outings. She and I were in charge of getting the tickets and would text back and forth to compete against everyone else trying to buy tickets for some of the big blockbuster movies. We just wanted to create another fun moment and outing for everyone. If you needed someone to help enter a draw to try and purchase some popular sneakers, she would volunteer. Again selfless, and if you were having a conversation with her and there were different opinions, you had to become a defense attorney and gather witness statements and evidence to try and change her mind. Even that didn’t work sometimes, but that was Leidy and we loved her for that. Her life changed the day she became a mother. Jaylene, you were her world, her best friend, and the best medicine for her sickness. She took great care of you and it came full circle with you helping to take care of her. Leidy loved the family trips to Puerto Rico, and just last August, I took Jaylene ziplining with me and before leaving, Leidy spoke to me seriously and said, “she’s in your hands now, bring my daughter back.” No pressure! It was the only time she was ever stern with me. Jaylene, you are an amazing young woman and I know you will make your mother proud in life.

Leidy the Warrior. What can I say, she’s the strongest person I know. When she was diagnosed, she put on her armor (which was us) and went headfirst into battle. She never laid down. When we say Puerto Rico strong, we’re not just blowing smoke. She fought so hard for almost 6 years. These last few months she gave her family a gift where we would see spend more time with each other on a regular basis. She loved the visits from her family and also telling whomever was sitting next to her to stop looking at her cards during an Uno game. Even until the last few weeks, she still tried to eat and drink even when her body couldn’t anymore, but that was the fight in her. She was a leader of what it means to be a fighter and we can all follow her lead with whatever battles face us in life. God knew that she had been through enough and her pain needed to end. I have great comfort in knowing that she is pain free now. I want to read 2 verses from Corinthians in the bible.

The first: “And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power.”

The second: “While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” Leidy is now eternal! When they speak of someone’s legacy, people usually refer to what mark on the world did that person leave but that isn’t the only thing and necessarily true. A person’s legacy also involves how people remember them, and I think we can all agree that we remember Leidy very fondly.

This is not goodbye for us. Leidy is, not was, is a light in our lives. It has not been extinguished and still exist. The next time you have a light shine on you or have a warm feeling, in that moment, know that it is her saying hi.

Leidy I love you, we love you. Please give a hug and a kiss from us to Jacob, Meleny, Ari, and my grandparents.

Thank you!
German Roman