I just returned home from the most horrific day here in Lesvos; this tragedy is of unreal, catastrophic proportions (but this post of mine will be uncharacteristically brief). A boat carrying 300 refugees sunk offshore – before my very eyes, though there was absolutely nothing that I or anyone else could do. The coastguards were unable not rescue all. After up to five hours in the choppy frigid waters, 242 were accounted for, arriving to the harbor in varying degrees of dire need. The rest are still formally only “missing,” though one member of the coastguard said he left behind “tens and tens of dead bodies floating,” to use his precise words. Babies who reached shore alive soon perished, even under the master care of doctors – again, before my very eyes. The ultimate risk that these individuals take in leaving Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq became all too real with this loss of life. Tears are streaming down my cheeks as I relive the horror, making it near impossible to even type. But writing is how I process… so I will try to put today’s emotions and experiences to paper. Until then, I just googled Lesvos and clicked “News" to see if any of what transpired here on the island even made the press… well, it did… but only for one Greek newspaper. The article image caught my eye – because somehow it is me, holding darling Mina, who was thrown to my arms from the coastguard boat. I undressed, dried, redressed, cozied, comforted, and carried her about for hours in the mayhem – searching for her mother, who we found at long last! Miracles happen.
