His three friends are injured but alive. One is hit in the lungs. The other was shot in the buttock. Camila remained on the ground for an hour, with her hand torn apart, and several impacts to the rest of her body, before being taken in an ambulance. Once taken into care, a long and painful course of care begins. “I had three bullets in my body, one of which was in my left hand. I had a lot of surgeries, 28 operations to do reconstruction. It was really hard because my family was in Brazil. My mother came the next day. I stayed in the hospital for three months.”, remembers Camila.
Camila’s mother leaves her job overnight to take care of her daughter. Life has been on hold for over a year. Camila interrupts her studies. She will never return to her Parisian studio. Her father and a friend will take care of the move during her long stay in the hospital.
Rebuilding your life 10 years later
Camila initially fought to keep her left hand. Doctors recommended amputation. She refused. Then, she fought to continue her studies. Camila pursued them in Brazil for three years. The Sorbonne University is setting up a tailor-made program for her. Today, Camila works as a therapist.
“ I think it is thanks to this event that I am able to take care of my patients. I overcame this ordeal with the help of my family and my friends. But, it’s true that there is a part that we overcome on our own. And for this part, I worked a lot“, she confides.
Camila finally returned to Paris for love. She married a Frenchman last summer. She lives a few blocks from the restaurant “Le petit Cambodge”. Usually, she takes detours to avoid the places, but for the first time, a week ago, Camila managed to pass in front of the terrace to join some friends with whom she had a meeting.