Jason Joy Garcia, a local 42-year-old nurse spent his last working days at CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital Shoreline treating patients who were battling the same virus that took his life -- COVID-19.
His final breath was taken Aug. 26.
Friends and family who love him remember him as a family man -- the father of two boys, a loving husband and a great friend.
"He's a gentle soul," said Jean-Garcia-Zamora, Garcia's cousin. "He was a gentle soul and his name, Jason Joy, is the best name for him because he brings us joy."
Friends and family say they want to remember Garcia as the man who lit up the room with his energy.
"Whenever we would go somewhere we know it would be fun if Jason is there," said Angelo Pedro, Garcia's best friend. "We don't wanna go or hang out if he can't come because we know there's something missing."
They don't want to remember Garcia as someone whose life was cut short because of COVID-19, or that he spent over a month battling the virus; first at home, then, the last few days in the ICU.
"In my mind, and in my heart, he was going to make it, so it was really hard," said Garcia-Zamora.
"I felt the same way," Pedro said. "We were texting when he was in the ICU and he said 'I've been here 11 days,' and I said 'How do you feel?' and he said 'It's hard to breathe.' "
They choose to see him as the man who emigrated to America from the Philippines at the age of 29 and became a nurse, fulfilling "The American Dream."
"I think, for me, Michelle (Garcia's wife) and the boys will see this video someday and I just want to thank them for making my cousin happy," said Garcia-Zamora. "He lived a full life with them."