Every day, Lidiane Carmo heals a little more from her physical injuries. And two weeks since the 15-year-old lost her immediate family in a massive interstate highway crash, her kind spirit remains, according to those who know her best.
"Is there anything I can do for you?" Lidiane asked a pastor recently from her hospital bed, still unable to sit for long periods of time.
Bobby Curtis, pastor of the International Church of the Restoration in Marietta, told the AJC he was touched by the teenager's compassion.
"Yes, you can get better," Curtis said he replied, before kissing her forehead.
But because she remains hospitalized in Florida, Lidiane won't be able to attend the memorial service planned for her other family members today in Cobb County.
"She's improving on a daily basis," Curtis told the AJC Friday. "But they don't want her traveling yet."
Lidiane was one of 15 members of the Brazilian church returning home from a conference Jan. 29 when the group's two vans were involved in a multi-vehicle wreck on I-75 near Gainesville, Fla. Eleven people were killed. The high school freshman was the only survivor of six people in her van.
Killed were Lidiane's parents – another pastor and his wife, Jose and Adriana Carmo – and her 17-year-old sister, Leticia. The pastor’s brother, Edson Carmo, and Edson's girlfriend Rosa DeSilva also died.
Members of the small church were devastated by the loss of five members but have said their faith has helped them through. Relatives and church members have been by Lidiane's side while she's been hospitalized, Curtis said.
In the days since the crash, the church has received thousands of dollars in donations to assist with funeral and medical costs.
A Carmo Family Funeral Fund has been set up at Bank of America. Delta Air Lines said Friday it would transport the bodies of the Carmo family, free of charge, back to Brazil for burial, and five church members will also be flown for free to Brazil.
Any money left after paying crash-related expenses will be put into trust funds for Lidiane and four other children, Curtis said. Edson Carmo is survived by two children who live in Marietta. Rose DeSilva is survived by two children in Brazil.
Students and teachers at Sprayberry High School, where Leticia and Lidiane attended, also have also raised money for the family.
Once she is released from the hospital, Lidiane will live with an aunt and uncle in Cobb County. She hopes to return to Sprayberry, where she is a freshman.
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