
Funeral was held for Joey Garcia today in Philadelphia, where he and his twin sister, Olivia had been receiving treatment this past week. Although Philly is 2+ hours away from the NYC academy and although the passing was Monday and the funeral was scheduled for the very next day, there were a large number of students who attended the funeral. Both Marcelo and his wife Tati spoke and expressed their appreciation for the support of so many students who managed to attend. Tati pointed out that she and Marcelo have no family in the States. I was honored to be part of Marcelo's extended family at that moment. I am awaiting the day a few years from now when Olivia is bouncing around the academy and Marcelo is laughing and rolling on the mats with her.