"It's horrible." She repeats it over and over as tears stream down her face. Lilly Liliana Perez, a 49-year-old Venezuelan lawyer, lost everything in the earthquake that devastated her country twelve days ago. She can't seem to find peace; the only consolation comes from that little bundle of joy, wearing a beige romper and light-colored sandals. "It saved my life," the young grandmother's face lights up. A month ago, she had come to the heart of Montiferru specifically to meet her first grandchild, who, unknowingly, had saved her from so much destruction.

The story

"My daughter Neymar had been in Spain as a political refugee for three years," she says. "There she met a boy from Scano who became her husband." When her little boy was born in April, Liliana couldn't wait to hold him in her arms, so she organized the trip to Sardinia. Her joy was uncontainable until June 24th, when in the middle of the night she received a phone call from Caracas: her sister warned her of the powerful tremors that had left nothing but rubble in the state of La Guaira. "Nothing remained of the complex where she lived in Naiguatá," explains her son-in-law, translating Liliana's Spanish. "Her seven-story building collapsed like papier-mâché, a life of sacrifice destroyed in a matter of seconds." Fortunately, Lilly's other twenty-year-old son and his mother managed to escape, but other relatives and friends are no longer with her. "It's a disaster." She shakes her head, becoming emotional as she recounts those moments through the images circulating in chats and on social media. "I managed to talk to my son, who now lives in the car. I hope he can join me." Liliana is in a state of anxiety, can't sleep, and has even suffered facial paralysis due to stress.

The difficulties

Venezuela is on its knees: there's a lack of drinking water, electricity, and gas, and several areas are in the red zone. Delays in relief efforts, critical issues in the distribution of humanitarian aid, looting, and even "kidnappings of minors," her son-in-law explains. "There's also speculation, such as the morgue demanding $300 for the return of a body." Liliana has even received a demand for condominium fees "despite the fact that her house is no longer there." It's an absurd situation, but what's frightening now is the future. "I'd like to return to Venezuela to see the disaster up close and try to at least recover my documents, but I don't know if and when that will be possible," the Venezuelan lawyer observes. "I have to start from scratch, and I'd like to start from here, from Scano Montiferro, together with my children." She doesn't know how she'll manage; her residence permit is valid until September, but once again, her grandson is helping her out: as a relative of an Italian citizen, her visa can be extended. “She is my hope and my strength,” he repeats as he, unaware of everything, falls asleep in his mother’s arms.

Solidarity has been expressed by the Church, with the support of Archbishop Roberto Carboni, while the couple's family, led by Maria Delogu (the little boy's great-aunt by marriage), has launched a Gofundme fundraiser called "A new life for Lilly, after the earthquake."

Valeria Pinna

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