After a suicide attempt, a 46-year-old woman was found floating alive in the sea. She was missing for two years and has lost contact with her family.
The woman, who was later identified as Angelica Gaitan, was seen by two fishermen floating about a mile off a beach from Puerto Colombia in Atlantico last September 26. One of the fishermen, Rolando Visbal, said that Gaitan was very weak and showing signs of hypothermia.
He believes Gaitan has already been floating in the water for eight hours whom they first thought was just a floating log. Once she is in the boat, they tried to speak with her but all she could do was cry. A private person then brought her to the health post where doctors were able to stabilize her despite arriving in a state of shock.
Wanting to end her suffering
Gaitan, who has gone missing for two years, said she tried to commit suicide by jumping into the ocean. She said that she had been a victim of domestic violence for years. Her partner physically abused her beginning with her first pregnancy. The violence continued but she said she could not run away from him because her kids were too young.
Speaking to RCNRadio, Gaitan said that many times she has reported the abuse but the police took him only for 24 hours. Once her husband is back home, he will begin assaulting her again. She endured twenty years of having a toxic relationship, she said. Last September 2018, she said that her ex-partner broke her face and tried to kill her.
Having had enough of the violence and mistreatment, Gaitan managed to escape and wandered the streets for almost six months. She took refuge at a women's shelter and thought that her ordeal has finally ended. However, it was not to be as she continued to get mistreated and bullied in the shelter.
Mistreated in the shelter
Gaitan recalled that one point, that women in the shelter turned the water off while she was taking a shower. They even offered her juice mixed with soapy water. She said that she never got the support she needed to heal.
Depressed, abandoned, and lonely she decided to end her life. "I had no help from anyone," she said, "not even from my family" because her ex-partner took her away from her social circle. A lady lent her money which she used to buy tickets and she "took a bus directly to the sea."
While on the seashore, she said found herself alone and decided to jump into the sea. "I let it take me away," she recalled, "and hope that this nightmare would end soon." She could not remember what happened next as her mind was left empty while she was drifting.
Grateful to God for keeping her alive
According to La Libertad, her family members said that Gaitan left for Ecuador in 2018 and returned in 2019 without the knowledge of her relatives. Her daughter is reportedly raising funds so they can bring her back to Bogota where they live.
Gaitan said she was thankful for the men who rescued her. "Thank God I was alive, and He threw me a life preserver."
Read next:
Wife Continues Husband's Legacy of Kindness
Conjoined Twins From Petersburg Michigan Successfully Separated
