By Guy Page

Friends and neighbors of a Cambridge family who lost two siblings to drowning last week have raised over $87,000 online to send their bodies home to Ecuador.

The online fundraiser for Maria and Luis, the parents of 11-year-old Yazmin and 25-year-old Sandro, shares the story of two lives defined by love, generosity and devotion to family. The siblings drowned July 1 while fishing at Arrowhead Mountain Lake in Georgia, leaving behind a devastated family and community.

The Cambridge Village Market also is collecting donations for the family. “We couldn’t imagine going through something like that. Money isn’t going to solve problems by any means, but we just want to be as helpful as possible,” store owner Erica Hayes told WCAX.

Organized by close family friend Hesi Correa, the online fundraiser paints a portrait of Yazmin as a bright, compassionate young girl who had just completed sixth grade at Cambridge Elementary School and was eagerly anticipating middle school this fall.

Though only 11 years old, Yazmin played an outsized role in her family. She helped care for her younger brother Erick, translated for her parents, assisted around the house without being asked and was known as an exceptional cook. Friends remember her as playful, determined and full of laughter, with a spirited personality that brightened every room.

Sandro, 25, is remembered as a gentle, hardworking young man whose quiet optimism left a lasting impression on everyone he met. An avid volleyball and soccer player, he was known for his calm demeanor and selflessness.

“He would often tell his parents there was no reason to get mad because life was better when you chose happiness,” Correa wrote. “He always tried to solve problems on his own and consistently put others before himself.”

Correa said the brother and sister shared a close bond, spending much of their free time together, whether helping at home, visiting friends or simply walking to the store for snacks.

“They shared a bond that words can’t fully describe,” the fundraiser says.

The family’s grief has been compounded by previous hardships. In 2023, their home was inundated by nearly four feet of floodwater during Vermont’s historic summer flooding, forcing them to rebuild after losing nearly everything they owned. More recently, the family endured additional uncertainty after Luis was detained by Border Patrol while traveling to work.

The family has decided to return Yazmin and Sandro to Ecuador, where most of their extended family lives, so they can be laid to rest surrounded by generations of loved ones.

Transporting the siblings to Ecuador is expected to cost about $20,000, with total funeral, paperwork and related expenses projected to exceed $50,000. The family has also lost income while grieving and making funeral arrangements.

“No parent should ever have to plan the funeral of their child,” Correa wrote. “No parent should ever have to plan the funerals of two children at the same time.”

Correa said the family also plans to hold a community celebration of life in Vermont so friends, neighbors and classmates can remember Yazmin and Sandro with the joy they brought to others.