Arnold Hererra, Chicago teenager who died of COVID-19, had no health problems, family say

CHICAGO (WLS) – The family of a 19-year-old man who died of COVID-19 said he had no previous health problems, but that did not stop the virus from taking his own life.

Arnold Herrera died at UI Health on Sunday. His relatives said he had no underlying conditions they were aware of and remain stunned at how quickly his condition worsened.

Herrera was a helper for whom the sky was indeed the limit.

“A huge amount of energy, just … ‘I’m going to do it because I’m going to do it,’ because I can do it. That ‘I can’ attitude,” said his brother, Pablo Portilla.

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Arnold’s brother said his younger brother had never seen a problem he hadn’t tried to solve – including in the garage, where he worked on cars for a living.

But on Saturday, Herrera’s generous spirit was taken by COVID-19.

“I kept praying for him to be better because I knew he was still, you know, strong,” Portilla said. “It was not in God’s plan.”

Pablo said Arnold was diagnosed last week and was recovering at home, but his condition worsened hours after ringing the New Year.

“He said ‘Happy New Year’ to us, and unfortunately after us he just had complications for a whole day,” said Portilla. “He was in pain and we took him to the hospital, and that’s it.”

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Arnold played guitar in his church in Little Village and graduated from Benito Juarez High School, where he was active in the ROTC junior program.

With his death comes a warning his family hopes others will listen to.

“It doesn’t discriminate on age. It just happens. And we should all be careful. We shouldn’t be thinking, ‘Oh yeah, because I’m young, that won’t happen to me,’ like no, ‘”Portilla told me.

Arnold Herrera would have turned 20 in March. Records show he is the eleventh person in Illinois under the age of 20 to die from COVID-19.

Pablo Portilla accepts donations in memory of his brother on GoFundMe.