Stephany Echevarría was 36 years old when the building where she had lived all her life collapsed on top of her.
It was August 10, 2026, in Cali. The 7.4-magnitude earthquake left her trapped under tons of rubble for eight hours, alongside her barely 2-year-old daughter. Rebar rods crushed her legs while she did the only thing that mattered to her: holding the little girl up so she could breathe. It was then that she uttered the phrase that today sums up her story: “God, I give you my legs in exchange for my daughter, okay? My body, my soul, my heart, and my legs in exchange for my daughter”.
They rescued her alive, but the price was extremely high. She lost her left leg to amputation, and her right leg was disarticulated, after more than 15 surgeries and a serious complication that kept her in intensive care. Her mother and grandmother died in the collapse. Today, with the support of Daniela Álvarez’s foundation, Stephany is waiting for her prostheses so she can walk alongside her daughter again.
