Cesar’s videos can be viewed on the ESSAY website on the Videos Page on https://essay.sa.org/videos/. 

Sponsor: Cesar and I joined SA around the same time. After a few months, our relationship shifted from members to sponsee and sponsor. 

At first, Cesar was hesitant to join virtual meetings with his camera off because he didn’t like not being able to see the people he was sharing with. That was the first reason we started contacting each other. From then on, all our calls were with our cameras on. “Just for today. The present is the only thing I have to live in sobriety,” he would say.

He was well-versed in the Principles and Traditions of Twelve-Step programs. He worked tirelessly for his sobriety. He enjoyed it and shared it, and when he met his Higher Power, he was found living his sobriety to the fullest.

Cesar always stood up for and listened to others, especially newcomers. He surrounded himself with old timers in the Program to learn from them. He did the same with those who had relapsed, always willing to listen with tenderness and lovingly extend his hand.

He left in silence, three days after celebrating his birthday. Did he sense his departure? I don’t know. This was his final message on this celebration:

Today I celebrated my accomplishments, and I’m grateful for everything I’ve been given. What happens to me and what has happened in my life is a gift that allowed me to grow and learn. I have a destiny toward which I’m traveling, and I know that in the end, what will matter is the journey. Thanks to the Love of Loves for allowing me to value more and more each day the joy of taking part in life, closer to heaven.

A great friend, companion, and brother. My daily surrender partner for twenty months. Thank you for everything. You leave behind a powerful legacy and a way of living that I learned with you. See you soon.

Andrés R., Mexico

Sponsee: Cesar welcomed me, and we talked over a video call for more than two hours. I was feeling anxious, nervous, scared, and lustful. He told me, “Calm down, kid. Lust is lust—it’ll be with you until you die. Just take it 24 hours at a time.”

He suggested attending meetings and making outreach calls. I asked him if he could be my sponsor, but he said he would check his schedule as he already had many sponsees. I had to wait a few months before I got a sponsor. That day, we were supposed to have a sponsorship meeting. He had just come from the doctor, and he told me he had been advised to rest—he had suffered a heart attack. Over the next few days, the news came that he had passed away.

I felt a lot of emotions. I cried over his passing. I cared for him deeply. I really wish that he could have been my sponsor from the beginning, and that I could have learned from his experiences and how he worked the Program.

Sponsor César, I miss you. I’m sending you a fraternal hug, wherever you may be. Rest in peace. See you soon!

Alfonso R., Mexico

Fellow Member: César was a man who lived alone. He always liked helping those most in need and never refused to lend a hand. He lived out the virtues in his daily life, especially charity. He enjoyed serving the Public Information Committee (PIC). He was a wonderful human being who was always at the service of others.

Daniel, Mexico

Fellow Member: I met Cesar in the morning virtual meetings. I listened to his shares and attended the presentation of his First Step. He took the initiative to make videos for SA: daily meditations, passages from the ESSAY, and SA literature. He was a creative person and very willing to be of service.

When I saw the announcement in the ESSAY looking for a volunteer to create audiovisual pieces, I thought of Cesar. He accepted without hesitation. There were no barriers to his desire to serve.

He loved SA and remained sober during the last months of his life. His passing was a heavy blow for SA Latin America. Thank you, Cesar, for being an example to SA. Thank you for your love and constant service!

Evelyn T., Bogota, Colombia 

PIC Video Team Member: Evelyn told me that Cesar made videos and would like to share them with the PIC. I was delighted to work with him. There was one problem: Cesar spoke Spanish, and I spoke English. We used Google Translate. He worked tirelessly, making one to two videos every week in Spanish. I translated the scripts, and he would remake the videos in English. He loved recovery so much that he sacrificed his spare time to make these inspiring videos for SA. 

Because I worked with Cesar every weekend, he became a dear brother to me. When Evelyn told me that  “our dear Cesar” had passed, I was devastated. I had never lost someone in SA before. I’m learning how to grieve his loss by celebrating how he lived, by giving away what he had, so he could keep it until the very end. Cesar’s videos can be viewed on the ESSAY website on the Video’s Page on https://essay.sa.org/videos/.