In every tragedy, there is a silver lining, however dull it may be. The grim details of 22-year-old Christina Duarte’s death don’t need to be shared. She was in the crowd of 22,000 that was targeted by a shooter on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel in Las Vegas on Sunday. She was enjoying Jason Aldean-tunes with her friend Ariel Romero when chaos erupted and both were hit as bullets rained down on the crowd.
2/ … Christiana Duarte, who was killed in Las Vegas Sunday, to help cover their expenses in these difficult times. https://t.co/dRPuiwRa0Z
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) October 4, 2017
3/3 The White Sox family continues to send thoughts and deepest sympathies to the Duarte family and to all who were affected by this attack.
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) October 4, 2017
White Sox Vice President of Communication Scott Reifert emailed the following statement shortly after the organization’s tweets.
Statement from the #WhiteSox on prospect Mikey Duarte’s loss of his sister. #PrayForVegas #mlb pic.twitter.com/KnbDKC9Aaz
— Matt Enuco (@Matt_Enuco) October 4, 2017
The L.A. Kings, whom Chistina Duarte had just started working for will honor her at Thursday evenings Opening Night game.
LA Kings employee Christiana Duarte will be honored by Kings players and staff during Thursday's Opening Night game. https://t.co/apobEr545P
— LA Kings (@LAKings) October 4, 2017
Durate’s brother Michael lost heavily on Sunday. “They are my life,” Michael Duarte told me in a Facebook message about his sister and girlfriend. Romero was scheduled for surgery on Tuesday and she was in a long queue of prioritized victims with the most urgent injuries claiming operating rooms first. Romero emerged in good health with a long recovery ahead of her.
Ariel just got out of surgery. It was successful and went really well. Thank you everyone for your prayers! 🙏🏽
— J A Z (@jjeezy) October 4, 2017
We got to see Ariel this AM. She looks good and is so appreciative of the outpouring of love & support.
— J A Z (@jjeezy) October 4, 2017
Michael Duarte was a 23-round draft pick of the Chicago White Sox in 2017 and played two games for the Great Falls Voyagers. Duarte is the cousin of Gerald and Brandon Laird, both former major-league players. Brandon immediately left his team in Japan to be with the family after hearing of Christina’s death.
When evil takes a swipe at innocence the outpouring of good has a way of stitching humanity back together. A Gofundme page was set up for the Duarte family and the donations poured in. By mid-Wednesday, the Christina Duarte Memorial Gofundme page had raised over $64,000 with 852 donations. One donor pledged $640 while others cast more modest donations. Tricia Taylor, friend and colleague of Christina’s father Michael Duarte Sr., organized the campaign and set a goal of $100,000.
Romero’s friends and family established separate Gofundme page to help defray the burden of looming medical bills. Romero was a law student at Chapman University and likely held scant medical insurance. Emmy Dean, a Mandalay Bay employee established the fundraising effort and it has already more than doubled the campaign’s $5,000 goal and still growing.
Money doesn’t wipe away the agony the of both family’s grieving, but these efforts serve to remind us that people are good.
