Portales neighborhood mourns after two high school classmates died within days of each other

Portales, New Mexico (KRQE) A high school in eastern New Mexico is in mourning after two of its students died within days of one another. Two families are planning funerals as the local community comes together in support.The series of tragedies began a week ago, when a medical emergency at Portales High School resulted in the death of a female student in a Lubbock hospital.“As a community, we all realized pretty quickly that she was an amazing young lady.” Brenda Lujan said, “She was beautiful.”While Lujan mourned alongside her community, she never imagined her family would be affected next. On Sunday morning, her 16-year-old son, Xavier, was in the passenger seat of a car returning to Portales.The driver lost control and flipped the car, ejecting Xavier. “They came and informed me my son had passed away from his injuries,” Lujan recalled. “It’s just a tragedy that occurred by accident. It feels like I have an empty space in my heart right now.”Lujan described her son as a bright light in the community, a standout track and football player who adored his family. “My son loved everyone. “My son’s smile was contagious,” Lujan said.As families struggle to cope, communities and school districts across the state have banded together to assure them they are not alone. On Tuesday, residents in Roswell, Artesia, Lovington, Hobbs, and dozens of other communities wore red in support. “It has been amazing. “The love and support that we have all received from them is simply incredible,” Lujan said.That love continued on Wednesday, as lines of buses sat outside Portales High School, covered in notes for students and staff. “It brings peace to my heart to know that my son was able to spread his love the way he did,” Lujan told the crowd.The father of the female student who died told News 13 that his daughter is an organ donor, and four people have received organs from her.SOURCE