Watertown— Sgt. Esdras Lucero and wife Jessica P. Neri-Lucero celebrated the birth of quintuplets more than a month ago at Banner Desert Hospital, Mesa, Ariz., on Dec. 25 and 26. However, for the Lucero’s the year brought some bittersweet and often trying times.
Wounded in combat, Sgt. Lucero returned home in April to devastating news that his wife had lost their twin girls. It was then that they considered to stop trying for a family and move back to their state of origin, California. However, unexpectedly Mrs. Neri-Lucero received news that she was pregnant with multiples and the couple decided to remain in Watertown.
“We decided to stay in Watertown after finding out that my wife was pregnant” said Sgt. Lucero, “but the house we were living in was simply unlivable and we tried to fix it ourselves for two years.” The Lucero’s had hired a contractor that did not succeed in any of the home repairs.
Operation Home Front, a program that reaches out to wounded soldiers and their families in times of need, reached out to the Lucero’s in the hopes to help the family have a livable home.
Although Laila Maxine, the first of the quintuplets had died during birth, the Lucero’s said that they felt blessed for their surviving four children. The Lucero’s expressed their gratitude for Operation Home Front and the help they received in home repairs. The family equally thanked the numerous medical staff that helped bring their quintuplets home safely.
