Lucas Trejo, 38, an Argentine defender, was in Caracas playing in the Copa Venezuela when the earth opened up. His wife Yanina and his children, Aaron and Ainhoa, were trapped beneath the rubble of a building in La Guaira, more than an hour away from where he was.
He searched through the ruins for five days, knowing deep down that there was nothing left to find. “From faith”, he later said, he kept digging. On June 29, Venezuelan footballer Edson Tortolero confirmed what Trejo already feared.
One month after the double earthquake that left at least 164 dead in Venezuela, Trejo published a letter thanking everyone for every message, every hug, every gesture from those who did not leave him alone. And he promised to continue in the country the purpose of faith that his family had built alongside him. “See you soon, Venezuela”, he wrote, like someone who is not saying goodbye entirely.