Thankful to Return Home

Thankful to Return Home

It is with great appreciation and gratitude that we can report we are back on U.S. Soil! We were able to board a charter relief flight out of Guatemala City to Miami late last night (aka this morning). While we are incredibly thankful to have had the opportunity to return home, we continue to consider everyone who is still abroad in this time of crisis.

We want to say thank you to everyone who helped make this possible. We know there are a lot of people who have spent endless hours and sleepless nights working to bring us home and it does not go unappreciated. We want to extend our sincerest gratitude to the following people:

Hugo and his family, who have watched over us during this entire experience. While you originally began this trip with the intent of showing us 'your' Guatemala, you selflessly took on the role of so much more. Whether it was driving us to the airport at the drop of the hat or waiting outside for hours until we safely boarded the plane, we all are indebted to you and your family for your physical, emotional and financial sacrifices during this time.

Lisa, Karen, and Katie, the leadership team of this trip who worked non-stop the last 5 days to help coordinate our trip home. You have been a source of stability and guidance through this unprecedented process. From belly laughs to hysterical crying, and every possible emotion in between, you remained constant when literally everything else was changing.

UNC Chapel Hill, specifically UNC Global, the Department of Allied Health Sciences and the Division of Physical Therapy, for supporting us and working behind the scenes. From coordinating plans A-Z (which plan are we on again?), staying up all night to track our flight, and constantly updating our families back home, you created a sense of security amidst the chaos.

Our NC Senators and Congressmen, for answering the dozens of phone calls from our friends and family, opening cases on our behalf, and following up with our families after the fact to make sure they have felt supported during this time.We know you have a million-and-one things on your to-do lists, and we appreciate you making us one of them.

Finally, we need to thank our parents, family, and friends for tapping into their arsenal of resources and contacts to get us home. It was amazing how small the world became as everyone worked together. The way that friends of friends of friends have stepped up for virtual strangers is incredible and a good reminder of what it means to be human during this time of crisis.

Overall, we have felt so loved and supported every step of the way. and we are almost home because of YOU. We will all remember this as a once-in-a-lifetime (hopefully) experience from which we certainty brought home more lessons than the syllabus originally intended. As we begin our American self-quarantine and social distancing, we intend to remain humble and grateful now that we are home. Thank you, thank you, thank you again for all your help!

Please keep remembering all of the people that still await safe return to the United States.

Sincerely,

Sara Galante
Shelby Miller
Karla Kyte
LaCorey Cunningham
Kristen Massey
Leslie Rainey
Erica Ghigliotty