A mother who was rescued from the ruins of her home in Venezuela has shared the incredible story of how she stayed strong for 32 hours to protect her 18-day-old baby after a devastating earthquake.

Dayana Patino was inside her eighth-floor apartment in La Guaira with her newborn son, Juan David, when the powerful quake struck, causing the building to collapse. She recalled feeling as if she was “flying” before becoming trapped beneath layers of concrete and debris.

Pinned down by the rubble, Patino couldn’t move. Her leg was trapped under broken concrete, and her head was pressed against a rock. Through it all, she focused on keeping her baby safe, saying his cries gave her the strength to stay awake.

“As long as he was alive, I was going to stay alive,” she said. Throughout the long night, she gently touched his nose to make sure he was still breathing.

Saving her energy, Patino only called for help when she heard rescuers nearby. After more than a day trapped underground, she finally heard her brother searching for her. She shouted with all her strength, and he answered with a promise that he would not leave until she and her baby were rescued.

The pair were eventually pulled from the rubble after 32 hours and taken to a hospital in Caracas. Patino is recovering from injuries to both legs, while baby Juan David suffered only minor injuries.

Her brother, Gerson, described the rescue as nothing short of extraordinary. Although the family lost their home in the earthquake, he said seeing his sister and nephew alive felt like “a miracle.”

The earthquake claimed the lives of more than 1,700 people across Venezuela and left over 5,000 others injured, making the family’s survival an extraordinary story of hope amid tragedy.
Source: New York Post