StoryCorps: Remembering Eric Quezada

You don’t have to be a high-powered politician to make a difference. Eric Quezada devoted his life to helping San Francisco’s disadvantaged – he worked at the Mission Housing Development Corporation and the Mission Economic Development Agency before leading Dolores Street Community Services in its advocacy for homeless people. Quezada’s life was cut short by cancer, late last month. He was 45 years old.

A year ago, yesterday, Eric Quezada, went to the StoryCorps booth in San Francisco, to talk about what inspired him. He spoke with Frank Kingmon and KALW’s Rose Arrieta.

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ERIC QUEZADA: My family immigrated from Guatemala, and it was one of the countries that was being impacted by civil strife and deep economic and cultural divides. When we'd go visit, my parents were very sensitive to wanting us to learn who we were, and where we came from. So we visited, we actually drove a bunch of times to Guatemala in the summertime.

Two trips in particular – my dad had a '66 Volkswagen Camper. “Hippy Van,” we called it. It was quite a journey, (laughs) and I remember crossing through the desert and being hot in the back of the van and fighting with my brother. The different stops, Mexico City and the pyramids, as a young child, were very eye-opening.

The other thing that was happening at that time in the early ‘80s that impacted on me were the wars in Central America. I experienced, by osmosis to a certain degree in the ‘80s, politics that were permeating in the neighborhood because of this influx of immigrants fleeing the wars in Central America. The politics were very prevalent and that was the norm. I felt this incredible injustice that was all around me. I wanted to know why that was happening. I wanted to know why so many of the kids I grew up with had to flee their homes.

ROSE ARRIETA: You recently had a child, how has that impacted your view of life?

QUEZADA: I appreciate much more, the amount of love and attention my parents gave me and my brother. I guess, to put it into context a bit, the other major life-changing event in my life: six years ago I was diagnosed with extremely rare cancer. It's called soft tissue sarcomas. It was a very bleak diagnosis at the time. I had half a dozen tumors in my lungs, in my head, in my shoulder. I had part of my skull removed. I've gone through it, but I've been very fortunate to be here. So when my daughter was born, all I could think of was how lucky I was to have that moment.

ARRIETA: If there was anything you could tell you daughter and your wife, that you'd want to leave them with, what would that be?

QUEZADA: That they've made my life complete in a lot ways. Whatever happens from now to the future, I have lived a complete life where I've been able to experience the important things in the world. They've given me that gift. I think my father passing as well really helped put that into focus for me. Also, being a parent, and my mom – the amount of love and time that she gave to me and my brother – is something that I hope I'm doing for my family and I'd just want to leave them with those thoughts, that I have really lived a full life and everything now is just gravy. I wake up in the morning and I'm very, very happy.

Eric Quezada’s story was recorded at StoryCorps San Francisco and produced by KALW’s Rose Arrieta. To record your own story, make an appointment by calling 800-850-4406, or visiting the StoryCorps website. And to read more about Quezada’s life, visit the San Francisco Bay Guardian.