The only survivor of an accident at sea, after 35 years she embraces the two fishermen who saved her
It's not easy to overcome a traumatic event, especially if we experienced it during our childhood, a period that should normally be carefree and free of serious problems. Unfortunately, this is not the case for everyone and it certainly wasn't for Desiree Rodriguez, who experienced a shocking event when she was only 9 years old. When she was just a child, she was on a boat with her parents and uncles, on what should have been a peaceful trip out to sea. Unfortunately, the boat capsized and everyone tragically ended up in the sea. Little Desiree stayed in the water for 20 hours and was only able to keep afloat because she was wearing a life jacket. When the situation seemed totally out of control and Desiree's fate was sealed, two men aboard a boat noticed the girl.
It was a kind of miracle that Mark Pisano and Paul Strasser were passing by on their boat: the two immediately noticed a life jacket floating in the water and, once the little girl hoved into view, Mark immediately jumped into the water to retrieve her. Like two angels, the two men arrived just in time to save Desiree's life - an event that left an indelible mark on them all. The further tragedy, as if the experience of staying at sea so long wasn't enough, was the fact that Paul and Mark found no other survivors that day. In fact, no one ever found the bodies of Desiree's parents and uncles again.
The day of the rescue was also the last day Paul and Mark saw Desiree, while still carrying the memory of that event within them. Thirty-five years later, the host of a radio show, Phil Friedman, invited the two fishermen to speak live, concealing the identity of a third guest from them: Desiree Rodriguez, the child, now an adult woman, whom they had saved 35 years before. The reunion was absolutely thrilling and unexpected for the two brave fishermen. From then on, all three have continued to keep in touch; Mark and Paul invited Desiree and her family on to their boat, in what was a very important moment of celebration. It was the first time, in fact, that the woman boarded a boat again or been on the open sea - an episode that we hope was able to "heal" some of the trauma that Desiree suffered as a child.
Desiree, of course, will always be eternally grateful to Mark and Paul, the two guardian angels who saved her life in what was an appalling family tragedy. A story that, at least in part, had its happy ending!
