Francisco José and his fraternal twin brother Rodrigo were born on 13 November 1965[REF] in Santiago de Cali, Valle del Cauca to Rodrigo Hernán Lloreda Caicedo and Aura Lucía Mera, both from well-to-do families.
In August 1981 at the age of 15, Lloreda was diagnosed with osteogenic sarcoma on his leg;[REF] he was taken to New York City where he underwent chemotherapy and received a hip replacement at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center [REF].