Morales got an outpouring of affection and sympathy following the death of his wife. More than $486,000 was collected through GoFundMe, and talk show host and comedian Steve Harvey honored him with a $10,000 college savings account supplied by Sallie Mae for each child.
A year after the children’s birth, they celebrated their first birthday with a party that was a day of mixed emotions for Morales.
“It’s all very bittersweet,” Morales told PEOPLE while tearing up. “I’m celebrating their birthday, but I also lost my wife and they lost their mom.”
“Erica would have loved this,” said Morales, who was 30, at the time. “It would have been an even bigger party. She really liked this kind of stuff. She was looking forward to it.”
Before the celebration began, his wife’s family and friends prepared a 30-minute memorial walk for her.
She told his children stories about his wife while pushing their strollers on the walk so they could “know how beautiful she was.”
Fortunately, Morales is constantly showered with love and support. It’s helped him keep his spirits up, despite having little time to mourn.
“I’m rarely alone,” he said. “I can’t believe it’s been a year. I just wish Erica was here to see them crawl and see them start to walk. There are going to be so many more firsts she wont be around for.”
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