Hoping that science, truth and justice will prevail

I am not really related to Trudy, not even a close friend. I have met her and her family about five years ago. We were eventually sharing some time together with common friends and family. From those moments spent together though, I got to know this woman. She was always smiling and very attentive with adults and specially children. No doubt about it.

So that’s why the day I knew from this tragedy I was shocked, so difficult to understand, how this could happen?
“Something really bad has happened with Trudy” -told me a common friend on the phone that day.
“There was a situation with one of the children she was taking care of, he is at the hospital now, apparently in critical condition” -he said, “and Trudy has been taken to jail”

Then my mind just played me bad and backfired: -Is this a for real? I answered. –Can you repeat what you are telling me? But how could this happen? I just couldn’t believe it.

Then, after a time to digest the terrible news we call her husband, Hernani, and he confirms this unbelievable story, a sad and scary story. Trudy is at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center in Fairfax City, Virginia… and he continues telling me the story you already may know.

When a tragedy like this happens near you, you start to think how fragile life really is, everything is right at one moment and, in the next second, it just turns into a terrible nightmare. You start thinking: “this could be happening to me… or to anyone”, and you feel insecure.

We didn’t know how bad the baby was, every way of communication between his parents and Trudy’s family was suddenly broke off. That’s how the law works here. So the natural bonds lovely built between a nice woman and the baby she takes care of is now rigidly ruled by law. They are not close anymore. Suddenly, one is considered a threat for the other so they are artificially set apart. I cannot stop thinking about this baby, I cannot stop thinking about Trudy, the woman who has been taking care of him and now is in jail. They and their families are now suffering an unfortunate and terrible fate.

I don’t know the baby, but I know Trudy, so it comes the day we go to visit her. My wife and I. We need to request an appointment to visit inmates. Visiting days are on Saturday and Sundays only 9-11am or 12-4pm. We need to arrive 30 minutes prior to check in, and the visit is limited to 20 minutes. Inmates can have only one (1) visit per week. No more.

We are about to use those precious minutes of Trudy, lucky us, for having that kind of privilege. But the truth is she hasn’t been able to enjoy visits. So we feel overwhelmed by the circumstances we are about to live. When our time comes to enter the visiting room, we go and sit on one stool in front of a booth and wait for her to appear at the other side. A thick piece of glass stands in front of us. Then Trudy appears, after she sits down she starts crying, so does my wife, and my heart shrinks. We extend our hands toward the glass, she does the same from the other side. No words. It is just that profound feeling, the feeling that can only exist between kind and touching souls.

There is a phone that we must use if we want to hear each other, so my wife takes the first turn. There is no much to say though. We all know that sadness is the hurting feeling around us. There is no way to avoid this heart-breaking moment. Trudy’s eyes look different, I am photographer and just have no words for describing them that day, so pure and clean… I can’t help telling her that her eyes are beautiful, and she smiles… for a short moment we can recall her smile again. Truth is, she has been crying for weeks. She can’t see the sun from that facility. We talk for a while. She tells us that she only wants to sleep so she can dream she is free again, together with her family, at home. And that this entire story is just a horrendous nightmare she may be able to escape by waking up in the morning. But it is not. She can’t see or touch her daughters now.

Many weeks have passed from that visit. Trudy’s reality hasn’t change much. I still think of the baby, we know that prays will hopefully help him recover and live a long life. Things are little different for Trudy though, she also may benefit from our prayers, but as human beings, we can do a lot more for her because helping on her defense is on our hands. We need to find out the truth and justice, because there is a big chance an innocent life could be put away from liberty, from her family, from her life, and we cannot afford that mistake to happen.

Trudy’s husband desperately needs to get funds so he can hire the best possible medical experts to perform a deep and comprehensive research, and testify before the jury in December 2009, they are the only ones that can help explain what really happened with this little baby based on latest scientific findings over the medical evidence. This is what Trudy really needs for her defense, there are lots of expenses Trudy’s family will need to cover and pay for, that’s why they ask for your support now.

Please help us sharing this story so we can get enough support for Trudy’s defense, today. Thank you to all of you who have shown your compassion while making the supportive comments and donations. God bless you.

Fernando Revilla