Its Not Goodbye Lloyd, but See You Later.

 

I was on my way home yesterday when I got a message that said 'patay na daw si Lloyd Cadena..true?'

I stopped walking and felt that I was all alone walking. I felt my heart sank and immediately went to his social media page and I saw that message that was posted. 

It can't be. 

Impossible. 

Like how? 

I know what you are thinking - who are you to ask this? You were not even close to Lloyd Cafe Cadena. That is because I have been a long time follower of his content. I remember I started watching his LC Learns videos back in 2012. It was out of boredom and I like his wit and humor. You can call it a form of entertainment seeing him talk about different topics like school life, love advice and relatable instances we have with our life in the Philippines. He immediately captured an audience that hasn't been tapped at the time - Youtube audience.

He was the first out of the handful Filipino vloggers that have stand out in the platform. I remembered when he first started, a young college student from Letran and the kind of humor he presented wasn't lewd nor dry - it was the relatable kind. You can call it situational comedy but it flowed naturally to him. 

I remember Lloyd was part of a youtube community I joined. He wasn't that active in the group since he just enjoyed being a content creator and didn't fussed over the fine technicalities during the time. How I wished during that time I pushed to message him maybe we could be friends. I don't know and we will never know. He wasn't really boastful of his accomplishments because out of everyone in the group, he was typically mum about sharing his accomplishments in the youtube space. 

Then he suddenly shot way up once youtube has finally noticed the cries of other fans to bring the perks of other content creators to the Philippines - bringing youtube based conventions in the country. It might have been this or his content getting more traction as time went on but I am sure it can be both as well. 

He became well known more and more, but he still stayed humble and spread good vibes to his subscribers and followers. He was able to introduce Bakla ng Taon which to be honest is a great thing because he opened doors for a new breed of content creators in the platform. 

He also established connections with other content creators. He was the kind that did not want to thrive on drama and always welcomed them with open arms. I wished to one day meet him. I never had the chance unfortunately. We were from different circles but odd enough, his content never made me feel that. 

One of the most affected by his sudden passing is Michelle Dy. They are very close as to what I have heard. He welcomed Michelle into his life and you can say that the bond they have, though is not seen as much online must have been a strong one similar to blood related siblings. I saw her posts online and you can see that pain she has. Michelle Dy doesn't really have a lot of close connections in the youtube community but I think the reason for that is she prefers a few real people to be her confidant and Lloyd is one of them.

Its just heart breaking that he has just started building his dream house for his mother. And now he has left her. I know how it feels to lose someone you love so fast and now might be a very crucial time for his mother to have a strong support system. Losing a beloved member of your family is a painful ordeal and I pray that Lloyd's Mother will have a strong support system to be able to overcome this. The pain will always be there but I hope the memories she has with Lloyd will not fade away.   

I may not know Lloyd Cafe Cadena personally, but being a content creator gives us that connection. Its painful to say goodbye to one of the content creators I loved to watch. He never made his subscribers feel that there is a gap between him and us. He has the kindest and most generous heart, and now that he has passed, its a reminder for us that life is worth living to the fullest. Watching his vlogs and the different adventures he has made me feel that life is supposed to be this - Lived to its fullest. 

Its not goodbye Lloyd, but see you later. 

Much Love

xx Alice