Real winners dont give up!

This is the story of a young woman named Maricel Apatan, who was eleven-years-old when this
happened. On Septermber 25,2000, Maricel and her uncle went out to draw water. Along the way,
they were met by four men her neighbours! carrying long knives. They forced her uncle to lie
face down and they hacked and killed him. Despite her shock, Maricel tried to run away and
escape but the men caught up with her. She pleaded for them to have mercy on her but one of the
men slashed her neck instead. She lost consciousness and lost a lot of blood. When she woke up,
she saw the feet of men around her but feigned death to avoid any more complications and to save
herself. Eventually, they left her and once they were out of sight, Maricel ran back to her home.
However, she noticed that her hands had been hacked too and they were falling off! She was
devastated but she kept running for her life anyway.
After a tough trip back home she fainted and fell along the way she called for her mother,
who screamed in terror at the sight of her daughter. Immediately, they rushed to the hospital
which was very far from where they lived; it took them 4 hours just to reach the highway!
Upon arriving in the hospital, the doctors immediately operated on her for five hours, even though
they feared she would not survive. Maricel barely survived and she had lost both of her hands.
Ironically, the next day was her 12th birthday.
Unfortunately, even more tragedy came into her life. Her familys house was ransacked and burned
down by the same men that had murdered her uncle and nearly killed her. To add to that, her
family was very poor and they didnt have the money to pay for her operation.
But the story doesnt end there.
On the bright side, a distance relative, Archbishop Antonio Ledesma, paid for her hospital bills and
helped the Apatan family bring the criminals to court. The criminals were eventually imprisoned
and justice was served. Today, Maricel is staying with the nuns at Regina Rosarii with Sr. Eppie
Brasil, O.P.
The greatest miracle was how Maricel was still able to pursue her dreams of becoming a chef and
did not let her misfortunes or handicaps get the better of her. Instead of cursing God for all the
misfortunes she had to endure, she found a way to make use of what she did have. She became a
chef yes, a chef without hands. She graduated from a course in Hotel and Restaurant
Management in 2008 and even received a Gold medal for Arts and Crafts.
Maricel is truly an inspiration for everyone. Just like Maricel, we should learn to overcome all of the
obstacles thrown our way and learn to look at the bright side, because for every bad thing, there is
always something good ahead of us.
Nothing stopped Maricel dont let anything stop you from achieving your dreams.
http://academictips.org/blogs/true-story-real-winners-dont-give-up/