Not knowing how to swim and carrying her daughter Eloah, 1 year and 11 months in her arms, Thais Natali Montenegro Lenda, 23, struggles to cross the waters of the Rio Grande, on the border between Mexico and the United States, in Texas.
The child swallows water and Thais' husband, Daniel Lenda, struggles, making every effort not to submerge. Daniel walks away, disappears, and only mother and daughter make it to the American side of the border.
Rescue teams spent more than an hour maneuvering to revive the child. Thais says that the girl was taken to the hospital, but could not resist.
Daniel's body was found four days later. Father and daughter were cremated with the money Thais raised through virtual crowdfunding and donations from local church leaders. After more than a month of traveling by bus from São Paulo, this is how the family's dream of having a better life in the United States ended.
Today, Thais has moved to another state, where she intends to start her life over after being sponsored by an American family. She says that she is still very fragile because of the tragedy, but agreed to tell in an interview with BBC News Brazil what led the family to try to make the crossing and the moments of despair she experienced when she saw her husband and daughter die.
 |
| Daniel had a dream of working as an electrician in the United States. |
0 comments:
Post a Comment