Dayana Patino, a mother in Venezuela, recounted her harrowing ordeal of being trapped in rubble for hours following a devastating earthquake, finding motivation to survive in the presence of her newborn son, Juan David. The 18-day-old infant was also rescued from the debris.
Patino described the moments after the earthquake struck, leaving her trapped with her left leg pinned under concrete. "I said to myself I'm not going to waste my energy - I'm going to scream when it's needed, when I hear voices or steps nearby," she stated. "I don't know how I kept so calm because my left leg was trapped under concrete. I couldn't move. My temple was pressed against a rock."
She found solace in the darkness when her hand brushed against a Bible beneath the debris. "There began my journey of survival," Patino said. A faint light, which she described as resembling the moon, offered a sliver of hope in the oppressive darkness.
The critical moment for her rescue came when she heard her brother calling her name. "I said to myself, this is my only chance. From the top of my lungs I cried out… I screamed 'Here I am' with all my might, and he said 'I found you, and I promise you that I won't leave until I get you out.'"
Her brother fulfilled his promise, leading to a delicate rescue operation that successfully extracted both mother and baby from the rubble on Thursday night. Patino sustained injuries to both of her legs, while her son, Juan David, fortunately, had only minor injuries. The survival of mother and child has become a symbol of hope in Venezuela following the destructive earthquakes.
