| Unexpected Gifts | | |  | | | Nancy Quispe was five months pregnant when the world shut down. Confined to a house with her husband and daughter, Nancy had to manage her fears about the pandemic, her pregnancy, and her livelihood.
"In the darkest moments, I found peace in my family, my husband and my daughter who have been the pillars of my strength during all this time," she says. Together they worked hard to keep the workshop running and fill the orders that trickled in.
At the beginning of June, two months before she was scheduled to deliver, Nancy went into labor. But they lived far from the hospital and, because of the curfew, there were no cabs.
"I was afraid that my baby could be born at any time, so we went to the nearest police station. We were very lucky to find a patrol car on duty that took us to the hospital."
Her baby was born the very moment they arrived.
"It is a day I will never forget,” Nancy says, because “I came back to life in that instant."
She named her son Noam, which means, "he who brings love and sweetness." In him, Nancy has found a sense of peace in the midst of difficulty. Luckily, their workshop has continued to thrive, as they double down on their efforts and soak up every morsel of inspiration.
"For me the best gift this holiday season is health and being able to enjoy our families. Even though many of us may not have our own close by, we embrace each other with our hearts from afar." | | | | |
