When I was 5 years old, my dad René and my mom Berlin made a sign
for me as we celebrated my birthday. I have an older brother, Mayer
and two younger brothers, Emilio and José. When I was 7, I wished
for God to give me a little sister. I asked God with great faith and then God
fulfilled what I asked, and mom got pregnant. I was so happy. My heart
grew when I saw my little sister for the first time. For me, it was the best
gift that life could have given me. Eventually, my dad decided to emigrate
to the United States to help the family. I didn't want that, but we needed to have more food and money. He sent us money. My dad's dad—my grandpa—took care of us. He always told me, study and be good. He called me “grandpa's darling”; his name was Juan and I loved him very much. He and
my grandmother gave me a lot of love. My grandmother Patrocinia taught
me how to cook. I learned many good things from them. I was happy, happy
with my family and my life. I used to be happy to have my sister, but now I
only have sadness. When I was 11 years old, she died. I no longer liked going
out, hated holidays, and didn’t have joy. I think at night that if my sister were alive I would still be very happy.

I would have liked my dad to have been with me when I turned 15. Four
months after I turned 15, I decided to come to the United States. When I
told my grandmother that I was coming to the United States, tears rolled
down her face. I wanted to be someone in life. I wanted to study, to have a
better future, and work to help my mother and my brothers. I wanted my
brothers to have everything that I did not have, and make my mother proud
of me. Although I did not want to leave my grandmother alone, I wanted
to fight. I wanted to know what it felt like to work to earn my own money.
Emigrating alone was dangerous; many people who emigrated were killed
or disappeared. I wasn't afraid because I knew that if God was with me, who
could be against me? When I left my house, I didn't tell anyone. It was the
19th of September, 2021. I said goodbye to my mother and my grandmother. My little brothers hugged me so tightly and told me not to go, but they fu-
eled my dreams for a better life.

I went through many places to be with more people who were emigrating.
I was hungry and cold in a truck with 250 people. It was very crowded. We
couldn't fit and we couldn't breathe and I just asked God to help me on my
way. It took 1 month in an immigration center before they called my dad
and asked my dad if I was his daughter. I was taken to a shelter with other
girls where I stayed for 2 years. When COVID hit, I was told I couldn't go
with my dad. My uncle Edgar got very sick and died of COVID and while
the pandemic was happening, I was worried. My grandmother Patrocinia
told me that she had gotten sick due to sadness over my absence. I couldn’t
sleep or drink. I didn't care if something happened to me. I wasn't afraid of
dying. I just didn’t want anyone else to die. On October 29th, 2023, I was
finally reunited with my Dad. I thank God that l am here now with my father and finally fighting for my goals. It will not be easy but it will not be impos-
sible either.

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