Editor’s note: As part of the final project for the Fall 2021 Photojournalism class this semester students were asked to go out and search for a subject matter affecting their communities friends or family. Because of the pandemic, the photojournalism class has continued to be held remotely. Here is what one photographer documented.

In the last two years, cases of violent crimes have steadily climbed across the nation. In September, the FBI released statistics that showcased this unsettling trend. In California alone, the reports showed the murder rate went up more than the national average. Violent crimes per 100,000 people were also higher in California than the rest of the country. During a news broadcast on ABC7, Sheriff Alex Villanueva of Los Angeles County stated that there has been a 60% increase in homicides this year compared to 2020. So what happens when the father of your unborn child is murdered two months before you’re expected to go into labor?

On Saturday, July 18, 2021, 25-year-old, Eric Flores was shot in the back following a physical altercation. He remained in critical condition until July 20, when he was pronounced brain-dead at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. Following the diagnosis, he remained on life support until July 23. Six of his organs were donated that day. A month later in August, a memorial service was held. Friends and family from all across the state of California gathered to celebrate his life. At the time, Eric’s girlfriend, Marissa Pardo, 25, was seven months pregnant with their second child.

Pardo gave birth to their beautiful baby girl, Avayah, on September 21, 2021. Raising a baby and a five-year-old is hard enough with a partner but without Flores in the picture, life has been that much harder. Marissa is currently living with Flores’ family and it has been helpful but she still has a hard time juggling all of the tasks a mother has to do. Some days the dishes don’t get washed, the trash isn’t taken out and the laundry isn’t done but that’s okay says Pardo. She constantly reminds herself to be patient with herself and her healing process. She rarely has any time for herself and can’t remember the last time she’s gotten a good night’s rest.

On most days, she is sleep-deprived but occasionally, she is able to take naps with her daughters on the couch. With it being the first holiday season without Flores, she chooses to go to visit him at the cemetery whenever she can. On days when she is sad and missing him, she enjoys reading books about dads to her two girls. She hopes to keep his memories alive for her daughters. When I asked her, “What now?” She said, “Life can be challenging but that doesn’t mean it stops, I still have my two girls to fight for.” She plans on going back to school at El Camino College in the future to pursue a career in optometry. She is currently an optometric assistant.