Breceda Hospitalized
Last updated 11/16/2024 at 8:36am
Beloved sculptor and well-known artist Ricardo Breceda, responsible for all the beautifully breath-taking works found around the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, as well as in Aguanga (Riverside County), has been hospitalized, after suffering a heart attack in his home.
Breceda said that doctors told him an artery is almost completely blocked and he needs major surgery, putting him in the hospital for two weeks, before he was released to go home before his operation.
In a statement made by the family on Ricardo Breceda’s Instagram page, it stated, “Right now, our family is going through a challenging time as my father, the heart behind our art, has been in the hospital since Sunday. He’s undergoing procedures and making necessary life changes. We’re grateful to everyone who has reached out with prayers, love, and support. Your messages mean the world to us.
As a small family business, this journey hasn’t been easy. Every visit, purchase, and message of support makes a difference and helps us handle medical expenses and keep the gallery running.
To show our gratitude, we’re currently offering a special sale on our pieces. Thank you for standing by us in this time. We hope to see my father back to doing what he loves soon, but in the meantime, your support truly carries us through.”
The hospital stay was the first time he had been inside a medical center. Breceda, who is in his 60s, admits he’s never been to the doctor and never had a physical.
Breceda said he has mended his own broken bones, taken care of his own illnesses and feels great to this day. Making matters worse: He doesn’t know how to pay for his upcoming operation to fix his artery as he doesn’t have any insurance.
He stated, “I never was sick before. What do I need insurance for?”
Despite a hefty hospital bill, Breceda is not asking the community for help or even set up a fundraiser for donations. Instead, he is just trying to sell more of his work and is offering a 30% discount on everything in his gallery for the rest of the month.
Tourists from all over the world and even residents, regularly visit the Anza-Borrego Desert and his shop in Aguanga, to admire his work and purchase them.
Millions have seen pictures of his 350-foot dragon dipping in and out of the desert floor. There’s also a massive scorpion in a standoff with an equally massive grasshopper.
Breceda’s vision also produced a T-rex, a camel and other characters in the Anza-Borrego Desert. In Aguanga, you will see a herd of horses jumping over state Route 79.
Breceda is expected to fully recover and continue to work on pieces.
“If I don’t die, you will see everything I am going to do after this, OK?” Breceda said with a wink. “I still have a lot of things to do.”