I was blessed to have met Fernando when he and his amazing family came to visit us earlier this year. I will always love and cherish the couple days that I was fortunate to have had with him. We bonded like longtime amigos, and I was looking forward to building a deeper friendship with him. I'm not sure if it was our IU connection, our daughters sharing the same name, or how we viewed the world, but he was awesome and connected with people!

When my wife shared the tragic news with me about his passing, I was in complete disbelief and felt physically ill with sadness.

I pray for healing and peace for his family, friends, and colleagues. I also hope that his memory and spirit remain a part of me and those he touched in this life on earth. He can now go fly with the angels and share all that love with everyone up above.