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That was before I knew why she needed me. “Anything,” I’d promised instantly, an oath I would have sworn to her in blood. The tightening in my heart like an emerging bud and the bloom as I relished the opportunity to finally pay my sister back for her years of sacrifice and support for our family, for me. I could still recall the feeling in my chest as I heard those words. “Elena,” my sister and best friend Cosima breathed into the phone, her voice stuttering like a failing engine. “Can’t Help Falling In Love”––Tommee Profitt, Broke “What Other People Say”––Sam Fischer, Demi Lavato “You Should Know Where I’m Coming From”––BANKS “To Build A Home”––The Cinematic Orchestra, Patrick Watson I have done a serious amount of research for this story in the hopes of making it as authentic as possible, but it should be noted this is a complete work of fiction. Though the mafia remains a popular trope in media, there is surprisingly little known about its modern-day operations and there are a lot of untruths perpetuated by the organizations themselves to create a kind of cult of personality around them. It is true that some of the top mafia crime families operate much like Fortune 500 companies with a single operation netting them as much as multi-millions. Now, they do not instigate public hits and most of their schemes have gone digital. Though their prolific presence has diminished in the 21st century, that is only because they learned from their mistakes in the 80s and got smarter. Any and all inaccuracies are my own and I hope you enjoy the story for what it is, a work of fantastical fiction. While I consulted with a legal expert for this book, I have taken certain creative liberties with the story to make it flow the way I wanted it to. Nothing can be loved or hated unless it is first understood.” I will never be able to express how much I love you. Thank you for bringing so much light to my life.
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In February of that year she had a heart attack.To the strong women who have earned their armor by battling their entire lives for respect, admiration, and a love worthy of their greatness.Īnd to Annette who makes me feel loved and supported every single day. “I felt like Frankenstein.”Įventually she defeated the cancer - but in 2017 it returned, this time in her stomach. “I would cry in front of the mirror when I looked at myself because my body looked mutilated,” Ms. She underwent chemotherapy and multiple surgeries, leaving her body scarred. Again, she thought about giving up.īut her friends and family convinced her to keep fighting. Then, in 2015, she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and given eight months to live. “I wanted to kill myself because I loved him so much that I stopped loving myself,” she said. Izquierdo said her greatest challenge in life came when her partner of 18 years, who had been battling cancer and kidney problems, finally succumbed. Still, despite continually confronting danger on the job, Ms. It was only when the army arrived that Ms. In April 2013, while covering a conflict between local landowners, she was surrounded and detained by armed men. It was only years later, after she had met her partner, that she properly recalled what had happened, and through therapy, was able to confront the abuse - and even forgive her abuser.
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Izquierdo was sent to live with members of her extended family in Oaxaca, where she said a male relative raped her numerous times beginning when she was 9. of Einstein or the voice of Pavarotti, I was stuck with being a journalist.”Īfter her parents divorced, Ms. “When they asked me: ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ I said, ‘A scientist, a singer or a journalist,’” Ms. Izquierdo, who had to go through some of the most painful moments of her life before she could tap into the exuberance that has made her a social media star.īorn in the Gulf of Mexico-bordering state of Veracruz to an accountant father and a homemaker mother, she knew from a young age she wanted to be a journalist. Being an icon of affirmation didn’t come naturally to Ms.