Paul Cortez
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In this Friday, Jan. 10, 2014 photo, pallbearers carry the casket of Mikey Cortez into a church during a funeral service for Cortez, in Murietta, Calif. As his 7-year-old son Mikey lay in a hospital bed on life support, the victim of a drunk driver who had smashed into the car he was riding in, Paul Cortez took the boy's hand and made a solemn promise to God: If his son survived, no matter in what condition, he and his family would always be there for him. Although he would never emerge from the persistent vegetative state his father had found him in that night, Mikey’s family was not only there for him but also gave him a full life. A life, as it turned out, not all that different from anybody else’s, with cross-country family vacations and visits to Disneyland. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
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In this Friday, Jan. 10, 2014 photo, Mikey Cortez's father, Paul, facing camera, is comforted by a well-wisher at a funeral service for his son, in Murietta, Calif. As his 7-year-old son Mikey lay in a hospital bed on life support, the victim of a drunk driver who had smashed into the car he was riding in, Paul Cortez took the boy's hand and made a solemn promise to God: If his son survived, no matter in what condition, he and his family would always be there for him. Although he would never emerge from the persistent vegetative state his father had found him in that night, Mikey’s family was not only there for him but also gave him a full life. A life, as it turned out, not all that different from anybody else’s, with cross-country family vacations and visits to Disneyland.(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
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In this Friday, Jan. 10, 2014 photo, Mikey Cortez's sister, Angelica Plunkett, left, and her husband, Allen, set up memorial boards at a funeral service for Mikey Cortez, in Murietta, Calif. As his 7-year-old son Mikey lay in a hospital bed on life support, the victim of a drunk driver who had smashed into the car he was riding in, Paul Cortez took the boy's hand and made a solemn promise to God: If his son survived, no matter in what condition, he and his family would always be there for him. Although he would never emerge from the persistent vegetative state his father had found him in that night, Mikey’s family was not only there for him but also gave him a full life. A life, as it turned out, not all that different from anybody else’s, with cross-country family vacations and visits to Disneyland.(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
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In this Friday, Jan. 10, 2014 photo, Paul and Roonie Cortez, parents of Mikey Cortez, follow the casket of their son after his funeral service, in Murietta, Calif. As his 7-year-old son Mikey lay in a hospital bed on life support, the victim of a drunk driver who had smashed into the car he was riding in, Paul Cortez took the boy's hand and made a solemn promise to God: If his son survived, no matter in what condition, he and his family would always be there for him.Although he would never emerge from the persistent vegetative state his father had found him in that night, Mikey’s family was not only there for him but also gave him a full life. A life, as it turned out, not all that different from anybody else’s, with cross-country family vacations and visits to Disneyland. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
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This 2013 handout photo provided by Paul Cortez shows Mikey Cortez, left, and his father Paul. As his 7-year-old son Mikey lay in a hospital bed on life support, the victim of a drunk driver who had smashed into the car he was riding in, Paul Cortez took the boy's hand and made a solemn promise to God: If his son survived, no matter in what condition, he and his family would always be there for him. (AP Photo/Courtesy Cortez Family)
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This 2012 photo provided by Paul Cortez shows Mikey Cortez and his parents, Paul and Roonie Cortez, at a winery in Temecula, Calif. As his 7-year-old son Mikey lay in a hospital bed on life support, the victim of a drunk driver who had smashed into the car he was riding in, Paul Cortez took the boy's hand and made a solemn promise to God: If his son survived, no matter in what condition, he and his family would always be there for him. (AP Photo/Courtesy Cortez Family)
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This Nov. 25, 2010 photo provided by Paul Cortez shows Mikey Cortez, front row, center, and his family members on Thanksgiving Day. As his 7-year-old son Mikey lay in a hospital bed on life support, the victim of a drunk driver who had smashed into the car he was riding in, Paul Cortez took the boy's hand and made a solemn promise to God: If his son survived, no matter in what condition, he and his family would always be there for him. Although he would never emerge from the persistent vegetative state his father had found him in that night, Mikey’s family was not only there for him but also gave him a full life. A life, as it turned out, not all that different from anybody else’s, with cross-country family vacations and visits to Disneyland. (AP Photo/Courtesy Cortez Family)
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This undated handout photo provided by Paul Cortez shows Mikey Cortez, center, sister Angelica and brother Tony. As his 7-year-old son Mikey lay in a hospital bed on life support, the victim of a drunk driver who had smashed into the car he was riding in, Paul Cortez took the boy's hand and made a solemn promise to God: If his son survived, no matter in what condition, he and his family would always be there for him. Although he would never emerge from the persistent vegetative state his father had found him in that night, Mikey’s family was not only there for him but also gave him a full life. A life, as it turned out, not all that different from anybody else’s, with cross-country family vacations and visits to Disneyland. (AP Photo/Courtesy Cortez Family)
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This undated handout photo provided by Paul Cortez shows 15-year-old Mikey Cortez, center, and his parents, Paul and Roonie Cortez. As his 7-year-old son Mikey lay in a hospital bed on life support, the victim of a drunk driver who had smashed into the car he was riding in, Paul Cortez took the boy's hand and made a solemn promise to God: If his son survived, no matter in what condition, he and his family would always be there for him. Although he would never emerge from the persistent vegetative state his father had found him in that night, Mikey’s family was not only there for him but also gave him a full life. A life, as it turned out, not all that different from anybody else’s, with cross-country family vacations and visits to Disneyland.(AP Photo/Courtesy Cortez Family)
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This undated handout photo provided by Paul Cortez shows 5-year-old Mikey Cortez. As his 7-year-old son Mikey lay in a hospital bed on life support, the victim of a drunk driver who had smashed into the car he was riding in, Paul Cortez took the boy's hand and made a solemn promise to God: If his son survived, no matter in what condition, he and his family would always be there for him. Although he would never emerge from the persistent vegetative state his father had found him in that night, Mikey’s family was not only there for him but also gave him a full life. A life, as it turned out, not all that different from anybody else’s, with cross-country family vacations and visits to Disneyland. (AP Photo/Courtesy Cortez Family)
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In this Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2014 photo, Paul Cortez, father of Mikey Cortez, pauses for a moment during an interview with The Associated Press while sitting next to memorial boards for his son, in Murietta, Calif. As his 7-year-old son Mikey lay in a hospital bed on life support, the victim of a drunk driver who had smashed into the car he was riding in, Paul Cortez took the boy's hand and made a solemn promise to God: If his son survived, no matter in what condition, he and his family would always be there for him. Although he would never emerge from the persistent vegetative state his father had found him in that night, Mikey’s family was not only there for him but also gave him a full life. A life, as it turned out, not all that different from anybody else’s, with cross-country family vacations and visits to Disneyland. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
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In this Friday, Jan. 10, 2014 photo, a picture of 7-year-old Mikey Cortez, right, and a recent photo of Cortez with his parents, Paul and Roonie Cortez, and grandmother Nellie are displayed at a funeral service during a funeral service for Mikey Cortez in Murietta, Calif. As his 7-year-old son Mikey lay in a hospital bed on life support, the victim of a drunk driver who had smashed into the car he was riding in, Paul Cortez took the boy's hand and made a solemn promise to God: If his son survived, no matter in what condition, he and his family would always be there for him. Although he would never emerge from the persistent vegetative state his father had found him in that night, Mikey’s family was not only there for him but also gave him a full life. A life, as it turned out, not all that different from anybody else’s, with cross-country family vacations and visits to Disneyland. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
