Op-Comic: In a year of darkness, strangers helping a family in need brought light

Several adults gather around a playground swing set. One pushes the happy child on the swing.

By E. VyVy Trinh

Dec. 30, 2023 3 AM PT

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In January of this year I received a message from an old friend, Angelo, whom I met in 2016 when studying abroad in Haiti.

When Angelo graduated from medical school, political turmoil left him unable to find further training or work as a physician.

In January, Angelo told me his brother had been killed by gangs. This came after the loss of both parents and other hardship.

The U.S. had just opened a new path for Haitians fleeing the crisis. "Would you consider sponsoring me and my family?"

Over the next month we navigated filing sponsorship paperwork. We also sent out the bat signal to everyone we knew for help.

In response, people offered extraordinary support. We called ourselves Angelo's family's welcome circle.

The wait was hard for Angelo and his family as violence escalated in Port-au-Prince. Food was scarce, and they fell ill.

In October, Angelo's family was authorized to travel. I flew to North Carolina to meet them with some of the welcome circle.

This year, war feels endless and my heart is heavy. Yet I remember one family found refuge with support from ordinary people.

E. VyVy Trinh is a cartoonist, writer, physician and educator. Instagram: @vyvywondercomics

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