Family remembers beloved daughter by riding Colorado's Courage Classic
More than 1,000 cyclists will brave the heat and fires in the Colorado mountains for this year's Courage Classic Bicycle Tour. The bike tour starts and finishes at Copper Mountain with routes that include Vail Pass. Families and friends will come from across the country to raise money and support the important care that is provided at Children's Hospital Colorado.
"I ended up having a C-section at around 39 weeks exactly," Eva Itriago recalled of the birth of her first child. "That's when our lives changed forever."
From the moment Camila Gonzalez was born, she faced significant medical challenges.
"She had a heart and lung condition that was caused by a genetic syndrome that she was born with. It's called 22q11.2 deletion syndrome or DiGeorge Syndrome," Itriago explained.
"It was a roller coaster of emotions, and I was basically numb. I was feeling numb," said Camila's father, Reinaldo Gonzalez.
The shock and the devastation of such a big diagnosis for such a little girl, Itriago and Gonzalez put their trust in Children's Hospital of Colorado.
"One of the best things about Children's is they never made us feel like we were dumb or saying something wrong. We were always part of the care team," Itriago said.
Baby Camila needed a lot of care. The doctors and her family were working day to day to make sure she was getting enough food and that her lungs were healthy. The long-term plan was to do a heart and lung repair surgery, which was going to be very complicated.
"If there's something we know about medically complex kiddos, it's that they do not follow plans," Itriago said.
While Camila struggled to be healthy enough for the surgery, it fell to Gonzalez to keep the family going.
"I had to go back and forth from Kansas to Colorado, so I tried to be there at least once a week. Keeping my job, keeping my insurance, so she can spend time with the baby," he explained.
It was the most difficult time either one of them had ever faced. Just five months after her birth, Camila's young life came to an end.
"We ran to the room, and they were resuscitating her. And, you know, when that screen went all zeros, what else can you do? You know," said Itriago as her voice broke.
Camila passed seven years ago. The couple continues to find ways to keep her memory alive with their two younger daughters, including riding in the Courage Classic. Gonzalez has been training for a long route, and Itriago and the girls will be riding in the Courage Cruise Family Ride.
"The main goal is to inspire my daughters and help other kids and parents that are in a similar situation that we went through," Gonzalez said.
"Hi, I'm Aurora. Today I'm riding my bicycle. I help my sister Camila because we're helping other kids to get better," Camila's sister Aurora said in a video taped by her mother.
They are building a lasting legacy for a young life that ended too soon.
LINK: Courage Classic Bicycle Tour
Children's Hospital Colorado Foundation's Courage Classic Bicycle Tour is July 18-19, 2026, at Copper Mountain. CBS Colorado Mornings anchor Michelle Griego will be riding both days.
