I just got word my buddy Daniel Torreblanca passed away while visiting Peru. He was only 31 years old.
Just before he left with his girlfriend to visit his family in Peru, Daniel and I had a great chat about what was next for him. He had just quit his job and was looking to re-enter the web development field. I actually had a solid lead for him at my girlfriend's work and he seemed psyched about the opportunity. But first, he was going on a trip to Peru.
While in Peru, Daniel didn't feel well, and passed away suddenly from a seizure. The autopsy shows he had meningitis.
In the photo above, Daniel is wearing the blue shorts. He was a lousy baseball player, we'd always joke about that, but a great dodgeball team mate. This was our championship season.
Our relationship started because of dodgeball, but we'd work together on several big web projects over the next five years. He was a great programmer and whenever I had heavy duty PHP requirements, I knew who to call. He was my go-to guy because he was creative, he was skilled and I could trust him. When you find a programmer like that, you hold on to him.
31 is far to young to lose a friend. If the universe was trying to give me perspective on the loss of my dog last week, the universe has succeeded.
I'll miss Daniel. My sincere condolences to his family and friends.
