Erika Hernandez woke up a few days ago and decided to make an impromptu plea on TikTok.
“On May 12th, it would have been Jovan’s 20th birthday. My dream is to be able to take my son and all of my bonus children to Universal Studios to celebrate Jovan’s birthday,” she posted on her TikTok page @by.erikahernandez.
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WATCH HEREThe mother lost her son, Jovan, about a year and a half ago after he was shot and killed in a robbery. The 18-year-old had an obsession with Spider-Man, and Hernandez always had dreams to take him and his friends to Universal Studios.
"Jovan enjoyed amusement parks and Universal Studios holds a special place in our heart because of his love for Spider-Man,” she posted on TikTok.
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Taking 8 to 9 kids to an amusement park wasn’t financially feasible for her, so Hernandez thought to ask for help online. She hesitated at first because she didn’t want people to think she was asking for money, but after she shared her message on TikTok, it went viral with over 4 million views. Social media users and companies came out of the woodwork to help make her dream a reality.
“Something told me, which I now know was probably my son, what do you have to lose? With zero expectations, I got in front of the camera and I made the video. I posted it and the rest is history,” said Hernandez.
This joy is a stark difference from that fateful day on September 1, 2023, when Jovan was shot near the 1300 block of Holly Heights Drive in Fort Lauderdale. Fort Lauderdale Police and Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue then found him with gunshot wounds near Southeast 15th Avenue and Las Olas Boulevard.
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Jovan was taken to the hospital, but he did not survive. Omari Brown was arrested and charged with murder and robbery with a firearm.
“To go to bed one night and have a loud pounding knock on your door at 3:13 in the morning to tell you that my son had been taken to the hospital is forever life changing,” said Hernandez.
TikTok has become one of the many therapeutic outlets to help her grieve the loss of her child.
“Sharing my journey online and using TikTok as my journal has definitely helped me a lot because I was able to see that I wasn’t the only one,” said Hernandez.
Since Jovan’s passing, his five friends have been Hernandez’s support system, and they even come over to her house for Sunday dinner. Now thanks to her viral video, she will finally get her wish to show her gratitude to this close knit group who she calls her “chosen kids.”
“We’ll be heading out to Universal Studios to celebrate what would have been Jovan’s 20th birthday. This trip is also my way of thanking the boys for being so absolutely amazing the last year and a half,” said Hernandez.
Thanks to the online community, Hernandez will be heading up to Universal Studios on May 10-13.
