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Jaime Alejandro Espinosa-Anabalon, 85: 'Bridge Over Troubled Water'

Jaime Alejandro Espinosa-Anabalon
Courtesty of Jorge Espinosa
Jaime Alejandro Espinosa-Anabalon

In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Two years later, more than a million people have died in the United States from the disease. To put a face on this number and pay respect to the departed, NPR asked our audience to share songs that reminded them of a loved one lost to COVID-19. What follows are individual stories of those who have passed, those mourning them and the songs that continue to unite them.


My dad had a lot of hardships. He lost his father when he was, like, 5 or something, and from there things got really bad financially. So for him, the song "Bridge Over Troubled Water" by Simon & Garfunkel kind of really resonated with him and his struggle through his life.

He was a mold-maker — molds for engine parts, or any other metal or even plastic parts. He got his training when he was living in Santiago, Chile, which is where he's from. He traveled throughout all of South America, so he never really stayed put. Hardships would always follow him in terms of being able to find work, being able to make a living, and he wasn't scared to get up and find something better.

Taking that kind of risk, going into something you don't know, is scary. But he could just as easily take that same thing and attach something really lovely and beautiful to it. It's like when you think about fruit: The fruit with all the bruises and the scars, they're the ones that have the most sugar and sweetness and taste the best. Which is actually, really, what he instilled in me. —Jorge Espinosa, son

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.