Dear CARD Community,
It is with heavy hearts that we come together to mourn the tragic loss of Diego Zuniga due to a devastating accident. In times of profound sorrow, we find solace in the unity of our shared grief and the strength we draw from one another.
Diego was not just a CARDian, but a cherished friend and valued member of our community. His passion, dedication, and vibrant presence touched the lives of everyone around him, leaving an indelible mark on our hearts. We will deeply miss his sweet and patient nature, his camaraderie, and the light he brought into our lives.
Our hearts ache with his absence, and we offer our most heartfelt condolences to Diego’s family and loved ones during this unimaginably difficult time. May they find solace in the memories of his life, and may our collective love and support provide them with strength and comfort in the days ahead.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to assist with Diego’s funeral expenses and provide financial support to his loved ones. Any contribution, no matter how small, will make a meaningful difference during this time of need. You can find the GoFundMe page here:
As we navigate through this period of mourning and healing, let us continue to stand together, offering compassion, empathy, and unwavering support to one another.
With deepest sympathy and heartfelt condolences,
Doreen and the CARD Family
Below are messages from Diego’s teammates, to celebrate and honor his memory:
“I have a few wonderful memories of Diego that I would like to share.
The first time I met Diego was while he was in training, and we were switching centers so the session was at home. My kiddo has a fascination with cars and Diego showed up on his motorcycle. Diego used looking out the window to see his bike as a reinforcer and then allowed the kiddo to wear not only his helmet but also his gloves for half of session. When the training session ended Diego asked if the kiddo could come outside and watch him leave. He then did a special little loop around the end of the road just for him.
During one afternoon session Diego was sharing a room with a kiddo I was doing supervision for, while we were playing Headbandz Diego told the kiddo that she should ask me and the other technician what sound the animal makes. The technician and I started to look at each other, laugh and then said “Ok, Diego what sound does a giraffe make?” Diego began to laugh, look around and then told us “this is your game” and went back to his kiddo.
He was always so gentle and attentive to our younger learners. He worked with one kiddo who is about to be three and you would always see him either carrying her around the center or bending down so she would be able to hold his hand comfortably.
He worked with a little boy that is rambunctious and likes to run around. Anytime I would mention the kiddos name Diego would say “that’s my boy” with absolute pride.Diego worked with one of my kiddos for a few weeks that was not used to having male technicians. She was so shy during their first session together but by the end of that session she was holding his hand, laughing and responding well to him. He was very sweet to her and patient.”
– S
“I had the pleasure of providing training to Diego when he first started at CARD. One of the first things that I noticed was that he was very charismatic and cared for all the learners that he engaged with. It can be intimidating to come into a new field like ABA and have to build rapport with children that you have never met before, but he made it look easy as he effortlessly gained the trust of our learners by being fun and silly. I was so happy and excited for him to begin his journey as a technician; I know that he would have made it far. One thing that I remember was during his training is that he began to call one of our littles as “little lady”, this stuck as he remained on her team after his training and continued to call her that. I am going to miss hearing “little lady” around the center as he walked around with our little two-year old friend. He will be missed greatly.”
– J
“(We) typically do not get many male technicians. We have 2 other male technicians so when I saw his name come in an email from my recruiter, I was ecstatic. I was like finally another male technician. I call all my male technicians ‘unicorns.’ He did not prove me wrong about being a unicorn! Since he started his overlaps all the trainers were really impressed by how fast he was picking up the material. When he finally went on his own sessions, he was amazing. He continued to amaze us every day with his skills and patience for our patients. He would always ask questions and had great communication skills. He was eager to learn and was obtaining his BCAT. Our patients would watch him in amazement when he would show up with his motorcycle helmet. Diego will be missed profoundly, we will miss him calling our patient “little lady.” “
– L
“Though new to our company, Diego was a fantastic person and it was obvious that he had a big heart. He was also very cool and the clients in the office adored him. My absolute favorite memory of him is when he put on his motorcycle helmet in the office on his way out after his session had ended. A five-year-old patient of ours looked up at him in awe, smiled and said “wowww!” We all smiled and agreed that Diego looked super cool. It was a very sweet moment and I know that our patients will miss him dearly.”
– R
“I had the pleasure and honor of getting to know and work with Diego for about a month. Being new to the team and CARD I was a little nervous during my transition. Diego was so kind to me and one of the first technicians that I started bonding with while talking in the break room. He was so patient with the patients. He had a shining personality and an energy that all of the patients were drawn too. You could tell he made them feel safe. I was lucky that we were in the same team with one of our patients. Whenever he would walk into the room at the start of session she would smile and light up when she saw him and he would say “hey little lady”. He will be missed greatly and I feel so lucky to have known him for the time that I did.”
—C