A statue of a little boy who died of cancer was unveiled before a crowd of family and friends in Miami Lakes on May 8th.
The sculpture shows a happy Jake “Jakey” Orlando Duque holding a big fish and is the centerpiece of a town pocket park which the council renamed in his memory.
Previously called the 1-5-4 Bridge Park, it is at the west end of Northwest 154th Street and Northwest 89th Avenue, east of a closed bridge that spans Interstate 75.
Jakey died June 8, 2020, a month after his 5th birthday.
Jakey, his sister Lyla and parents Orlando and Karen Duque once lived nearby, along Northwest 153rd Terrace. The family moved to Miramar before the child became ill.
Jakey was stricken by Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma, a cancerous tumor that begins in a patient’s brain stem.
He was treated at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. and at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Hollywood.
His parents documented his struggles on social media in a group called Jakey’s Army.
Before Jakey died, the town staged a caravan of 100 classic cars and trucks that drove through Miami Lakes to celebrate his birthday and return home.
The family received proclamations and keys to the town and county from Miami Lakes Mayor Manny Cid and former Miami-Dade County Commissioner Esteban Bovo, Jr.
The town said the golden statue of Jakey -- which is atop a pedestal covered in artificial ivy -- was paid for with private funds.