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Corona Father Of 4 Mourns Sudden Death Of High School Sweetheart

CORONA (CBSLA.com) — A Corona father of four is mourning the sudden death of his 29-year-old wife, who passed away two weeks after giving birth to identical twins.

As CBS2's Kristine Lazar reports, Gilbert Rasso and Alicia Heredia had a storybook romance as they first met and fell in love in high school.

They went on to have four healthy boys, including a set of twins, who were born at the end of February.

But two days after Heredia returned from the hospital, she woke Rasso in the middle of the night, complaining she didn't feel well.

"She grabbed my arms. She looked at me. She said, 'I love you. Gilbert, I love you.' I said, 'I love you too, babe.' We gave each other a kiss and she said, 'Just hold me,' " he recalls.

Moments later, Heredia couldn't breathe and Rasso called his parents for help.

"Her body just went limp in my mom's arms in the bed," he said.

An ambulance rushed Heredia to the hospital and when Rasso arrived, doctors told him they couldn't revive her.

"The doctor said, 'Did Alicia have any heart problems?' And I said, 'No, she's fine.' She said, 'Her heart stopped 30 minutes ago,' " he said. "At that time, my world ended. She did everything. I was the worker, and she was the stay-at-home mom."

Her cause of death is under investigation.

"Every time I cry, it feels like she's telling me, 'Don't cry. It's got to be hard for the boys,' " he said. "I hear her voice."

Rasso's family and friends have been helping him care for the boys around the clock. Loved ones have also set up a GoFundMe account to assist with funeral expenses. Click here for more information.

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