Pedro Mateo Cruz

Pedro Mateo Cruz, our beloved son, passed away on March 22, 2026, at just 23 months old. Though his time with us was far too short, his life was filled with immense love, strength, and a light that touched everyone who had the privilege of knowing him.

Pedro Mateo was born on April 16, 2024, in Dallas, Texas, where he was raised surrounded by the deep love of his family. From the very beginning, he showed the heart of a true warrior. His journey was one of extraordinary courage and resilience, facing challenges that most could never imagine.

At just 7 days old, Pedro Mateo underwent his first open-heart surgery, the Norwood procedure. At only 3 and a half months old, he bravely faced his second open-heart surgery, the Glenn procedure. Shortly after, his journey became even more complex, and from 4 months to 10 months of age, Pedro Mateo fought courageously while on life support. Through every moment, he showed remarkable strength, determination, and an unbreakable spirit.

At 10 months old, Pedro Mateo received the greatest gift—a heart transplant. This gift gave him more time to share his light, his joy, and his love with the world. Throughout his life, Pedro Mateo faced an incredibly complex medical journey, including kidney failure, multiple strokes, and many other complications. Despite everything, he continued to fight with grace and strength, teaching everyone around him what true resilience looks like.

Beyond his medical journey, Pedro Mateo was full of life, personality, and joy. He was known for his strong and expressive nature—he made sure people knew that he understood them and that they understood him. His big, bright eyes, incredibly long eyelashes, contagious smile, playful side eye, and beautiful curls brought happiness to all who met him.

He found joy in music and loved playing with his ukulele, jingle bells, shakers, and accordion. Music filled his world with comfort and happiness. He also had a deep love for books, a passion that began when he was just a few months old and stayed with him through his final days. He could spend hours flipping pages and pressing buttons, fully immersed and content.

Pedro Mateo loved playing with simple treasures like tissue boxes, blocks, staff badges, Neo sucker suction, and remote controls. When he wasn’t playing, he enjoyed watching his favorite movies—Trolls, Coco, and Encanto—on repeat. And above all, he loved being close to his parents—being held by his mom and playing with his dad were his favorite places to be.

He is survived by his loving parents, Vilma Gomez Romero and Pedro Miguel Cruz Cervantes, who will forever cherish every moment they had with him.

The family would like to express their deepest gratitude to the many caregivers who supported Pedro Mateo throughout his journey. A special thank you to his primary ICU doctor, Molly McGetrick, and his physician assistant, Stephanie Herscheman, along with his incredible care teams—Chelsea, Damaris Giselle, Grazia, Kelsey, Shannon, Sydney, Helen, Molly, Shelbea, Paul, Nathan, Jason, Morgan, Celia, Tatiana, Ernesto, and many more. Your compassion, dedication, and love meant everything to Pedro Mateo and to his family.

Although our son, Pedro Mateo, is no longer physically with us, we will carry him forever in front of us—in our hearts, in our memories, and in everything we do. His life, though brief, was powerful and full of meaning. He taught us about strength, love, and perseverance in ways words cannot fully express.

We will miss him every single day, but we are endlessly grateful for the gift of being his parents. Pedro Mateo will always be our greatest love, our bravest warrior, and our most beautiful blessing.

Visitation & Rosary will be held at Laurel Land Funeral Home, 6300 South R.L., Dallas, TX 75232, US, on March 30, 2026, from 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm.

Committal Service will be held at Laurel Land Mem Park - Dallas, 6300 S. R.L. Thornton Frwy., Dallas, TX 75232, US, on March 30, 2026, from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm.