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Don Chuz, an immigrant from Guatemala who lived in Greenport, a tiled subcontractor known for running hard and maintaining the goal of sending cash to his circle of relatives in his home country.
You may just be waiting for Chuz to show up at a structure site on time and be able to do a wonderful job, said Jorge Gomez, a Greenport contractor and his friend, who occasionally hired him for jobs.
“He’s a smart guy I can trust,” Gomez said. “I helped him, he’s responsible. He doesn’t drink. We’ve created a smart relationship. “
But on April 17, Gomez drove through Chuz’s space and his friend came out of space wearing a mask and didn’t look good.
“I made a joke with him and said, ‘Oh, you want to have a few drinks?'” Recall Gomez.
Chuz told Gomez that he had flu-like symptoms but feared medical attention because he was uninsured and sought to avoid questions about his immigration status.
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“I have no way of paying my expenses, I have no insurance. It’s just a cold,” Chuz said, according to Gomez.
The next day, Chuz died at Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital in COVID-19 Greenport. He was 55.
Gomez, who also immigrated from Guatemala, said he and Chuz have been friends since Chuz came to the United States about 8 years ago. Chuz de Palencia, Guatemala, about 10 kilometers from Gómez’s hometown.
Gomez said he helped Chuz get a car name and had stopped to search documents that April day.
“It didn’t look good,” Gomez said.
On the morning of April 18, one of Chuz’s nephews tried to take him to Stony Brook Eastern, but his uncle collapsed outside the house. His nephew called 911 and an ambulance took Chuz to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Gomez said Chuz left a wife and three children in Guatemala, as well as two nephews in Greenport.
“His purpose was to paint as much as he could, save his money and help his circle of relatives, his youth, in Guatemala. That’s all he did. “
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