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Man protects son's tree during monsoon storm
A father who lost his son after a premature birth was seen on TikTok saving the tree he and his fiancé planted in memory of him during a severe monsoon in San Tan Valley. FOX 10's Lindsey Ragas reports.
SAN TAN VALLEY, Ariz. - A powerful storm was no match for a San Tan Valley father's love.
He kept the growing memory of his son alive and in the process, brought tears to millions after the post went viral.
At just two days old, a San Tan Valley couple lost their first child. Their loss turned into healing, but it took growth.
They weathered the storm to keep their son's memory alive.
A quiet neighborhood in San Tan Valley was ravaged by a monsoon storm last week. Property was destroyed, and tree stumps were ripped out of the ground, destroying brick walls and homes.
The storm tested the strength of Nico Maffucci and Rachel Winans' tree, which was planted in memory of their son Stetson.
"It just looked like a tornado out here," Maffucci said.
Stetson was born prematurely at 24 weeks and died two days later due to complications.
"His little heart just couldn't take it anymore, and he passed on," Winans said.
"We don't get a chance to see him grow. He passed away at two days old, so we want to see the tree grow as if it's him," Maffucci said.
That was the moment Maffucci sprung into action standing through powerful rain and thunder, not just to preserve the tree, but to preserve the memory of his son.
"We kind of just looked at each other and just ran out here, just started holding onto the tree," Maffucci said.
The tearful moment was caught on camera by his fiancé.
"The tree represents our son to us and seeing that was just beautiful," Winans said. It was planted on Stetson's due date.
It's still standing on what would have been his first birthday.
"You can't replace a child. No pain I want another parent to go through, but to see it standing at the end of the day, it brought a lot of joy to us," Mafucci said.
The storm hit hard, but it's nothing compared to the worst storm they've faced.
"It was hard to continue on without him and I didn't know if I would have another child. I got pregnant with her shortly after, and it was a blessing," Winans said.
Winan's TikTok has reached millions of people since she posted it.
She's receiving thousands of comments, strangers sending drawings, and others asking how they can donate.
Their niece set up a GoFundMe for the couple, so they can grow their son's memorial by planting sunflowers.
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