Eliecer Martínez is seven years old and already knows what it means to sacrifice himself for someone else.
When the earth began to shake with a magnitude of 7.4 in Risaralda, Colombia, his family’s house began collapsing on top of everyone. Any adult would have run toward the street. He ran inside. His sister, just four months old, was there, defenseless amid the dust and rubble. Eliecer reached her, covered her with his body, and achieved what he set out to do: make sure she emerged unharmed.
The structure collapsed on top of him before he could escape. His injuries were so severe that the doctors had no choice but to amputate his right hand. A child who has only just started first grade will now have to learn to write, play, and hug again, but with a prosthesis.
Local police and several authorities came to his family with supplies and educational support while Eliecer begins his recovery. No one asked him to be brave that night. He simply was.