Christian Paredes was a senior in the Medical Assistant strand of the Health academy at Miami Lakes Educational Center. On Wednesday, May 21st, he fell suddenly ill, and on Tuesday, May 27th, he died of heart failure.
But how he died is irrelevant. The true story is about how he lived.
Christian was a complex man with many aspects to his personality, even ones you don’t normally see together. He was nurturing and generous, and he was on his way to becoming a medical assistant and making people healthier. Whether he was buying dinner or being there for his friends in times of need, he would always lend a helping hand.
But he was also spunky. Never a dull man, he always threw sassy jabs and welcomed them in return. He loved banter, and he carried with him a cheerful spark that could brighten anybody’s day.
But most importantly, Christian made other people better. He was open with his life, and he was honest to the bone. He was a genuine human being, and the qualities that many people spend a lifetime trying to embrace shined effortlessly through him at a mere age of 17. By having a personality that glowed with happiness and love, he helped his friends learn how to become better human beings.
He kept a close-knit circle of devoted friends. “We’d hang out, and none of us had a car, so we would just walk. Christian loved walking. We would walk everywhere. We’d walk to Chipotle and Panera, and he would make us laugh so hard we’d forget that we were even walking,” said Yarlin Hernandez.
He was independent, and quite confident in himself. “People would go up to him and say ‘Oh my god Christian you look so handsome in your yearbook photo!’ And he would just laugh and be like, ‘Yeah, I know.’ But it was okay, because he was Christian. He had that charisma,” said Raquel Rado.
When asked who he wanted to meet more than anybody for his Senior Yearbook profile, he wrote Lana Del Ray. She was his idol, and meeting her was his dream. Amazingly, his dream came true: not only did he meet and pose with her at a concert, but she also gave him a kiss on the cheek.
“He was shaking that night,” said Raquell Lopez, “Their meeting was so timely and so perfect; it had to have been destiny.”
“He was, well, he was just Christian. He was who he was, and he was special,” said Raquel Rado.
“I like to think he was a boy version of me,” said Kayla Bethel. “We were that close, you know?”
Christian was an adventurous man as well. “He had crazy good luck! One day he got stranded alone in downtown Miami, and while looking for a charger, some random girls were just like, ‘Hey, do you want to come to Ultra with us?’ And he went with them for free! That and meeting Lana- nobody except him is that lucky! That’s why I know that he’s safe now. With his luck, he’s up there watching Grey’s Anatomy and chowing on Chipotle, waiting patiently to see everyone again. He’s in paradise,” remarked Raquell Lopez.
Christian Paredes accomplished something very rare. He lived in the moment, and consequentially, he lived a short but complete life. He left nothing unspoken- no witticism undeclared, no joke untold, no kindness unshared. He gave his love to those around him, and he gave it passionately and powerfully. He left an impact on everyone who knew him that will never fade.
His senior quote was, “Every man has to go through hell to reach paradise.” But how ironic that he chose that quote, because despite it reading like he was a tormented soul trapped on Earth, he was the exact opposite. He was a fun-loving, radiant ball of energy and sunshine. He had an optimistic perception of what it meant to be alive on this planet, and he will, without a doubt, carry that spirit to Heaven.
As his best friends recounted the fun times they had with him, they pondered what his last words might have been. They agreed he was fearless and unafraid of death, and he would have left this world with a bang and not a whimper. “With a hearty chuckle,” said the girls, “he would have held our hands to let us know it was going to be okay, and then in classic Christian form, he’d smile at us and say, ‘Bye, bitches.’”
