by Tim Teeman

When the renowned, respected, and much-loved campaigner and activist Lorena Borjas became sick with the novel coronavirus, it hurt her throat too much to speak to her close friend Cristina Herrera, CEO and founder of the Translatinx Network. And so the pair, who had known each other since 1987, texted each other.

“She was scared not just for herself, she was really scared about how corona was impacting so many communities, especially older people and people with other chronic conditions. She was scared not just for herself but for her community,” Herrera told The Daily Beast after the announcement Monday of Borjas’ death from coronavirus-related complications at 59.

“She just wanted to feel better and get better,” said Herrera. “We were exchanging information about getting the message out to the trans Latina community. Even though she was sick, to the end Lorena was always looking out for other people.”

“That’s so Lorena, it doesn’t surprise me at all,” Lynly S. Egyes, legal director of the Transgender Law Center and another close friend and colleague of Borjas’, told The Daily Beast. “Lorena always gave me hope that there were good people in the world who got things done because they were the right thing to do—not because they were getting paid or getting something out of it. She was the type of person who, after you met her, impacted your life in some way. Lorena was one of the most amazing people I ever met.” Read more via Daily Beast