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An old saying that some parents repeat to their children says that whoever does well does well, and despite the fact that this is not always true, there are exceptions as in the case of Johan Ramírez.
In Colombia, and in some countries of the world, this young man is known as the ‘angel child’ of Chapecoense, but he no longer likes to be called that because he says that he has grown up, that he is not a child. Of course, the criticism that he continues to receive from people who use that nickname to make fun of him have nothing to do with it. They never mattered to him.
“When I say this to him as a joke he tells me: now go, let her go, take her off, I am already a man,” says Miguel Ramírez, his father, laughing.
On July 2, Johan turned 19 years old and four years ago his life changed forever due to a tragic event that he never imagined witnessing, much less helping.
A roar woke him and his father on the night of November 28, 2016. They were asleep at their ranch, located in the district of Pantalio in the La Unión municipality, Antioquia, a few meters from where the plane carrying the Brazilian team fell Chapecoense football team.
(We recommend you read: The tragedy that mourned the world of football)
Johan and his father helped the rescuers remove the survivors of the accident.
Guillermo Ossa / TIME
As soon as they heard the noise, they came out to find a harsh reality, but without thinking twice they made the decision to help rescue the survivors of the accident that took the lives of 71 people.
Johan and Miguel knew the mountain by heart and thanks to this they managed to guide the rescuers to get the people who were still alive from there. The young man helped three players and a crew member. His father, for his part, the stewardess and journalist Rafael Henzel, who died in March 2019 due to a heart attack.
Since then, and especially when the story of Johan became known in the media, this young man from Antioquia became a celebrity in his town. In the midst of mourning in Colombia and Brazil for the tragedy, he became a hero and life has not stopped giving him rewards for the courageous help he gave when he was just 15 years old.
“Johan is a boy blessed by God. It’s not because he’s my son, but what a boy to be a good human being, a good brother, a good friend. He is loved by everyone. I am very proud of him, of his great heart. I don’t need to lie, that boy is everything, ”says Miguel.
(We suggest you read: Like the Phoenix! This is how survivors of the Chapecoense came forward)
Miguel Ramírez, Johan’s father.
Esneyder Gutiérrez / THE TIME
It is undeniable to notice in his voice the love and admiration that this father feels for Johan. He even says that beyond being his father, he is his best friend. They have been very close all their lives and the relationship became even stronger after the unfortunate event.
Although they used to spend their weekends together doing farm work at home, today they are separated. On September 27, the month in which international flights were enabled in Colombia due to the pandemic, Johan left for Florida, United States, to fulfill another dream: to study English abroad.
Miguel narrates that one day Johan arrived and said to him: “Dad, I’m going to ask you a question: What do you think about me going to study English? Do you support me? ”, To which his father replied:“ Mijo, if that is going to allow you to move forward and fulfill your dreams, count on me ”.
I feel very proud
of Johan, of his great heart. He is a child blessed by God
In Colombia he managed to study three semesters of Business Administration at a university in Rionegro, Antioquia. Entering there was possible thanks to the ‘Young Citizens of Peace’ scholarship granted to him by former President Juan Manuel Santos during his government as part of the recognition to thank him for his solidarity.
This farmer, who is dedicated to cultivating and caring for five farms in La Unión, admits that it has not been easy to be separated from his son because of the strong friendship they maintain. However, he assures that sadness is not able to bury the pride he feels in seeing that his son is growing personally and professionally.
(We recommend you read: The drama experienced by an air traffic controller due to the tragedy of Chapecoense)
They communicate on WhatsApp daily and make video calls. Johan calls him, his mother, and his ten-year-old sister, who is his adoration. He has already sent them some money from what he has made in these two months working nights in a restaurant. “He has always been very rough to work with. He does not think about anything other than his family and moving forward, ”says Miguel.
Johan plans to be in the United States for at least six months. Or well, that was what they had planned because now, apparently, the young man wants to stay and live there. He says that in that country “money can be seen.”
Courtesy Johan Ramírez family
He told his father that if he wanted they could work so that everyone could go there, but that is not an alternative for Miguel, who says that he would never leave Colombia. “Let me be left here with my animals, my vegetables and my agriculture. If he decides to stay, I will entrust him to God, but I’m not going to live there, ”he also laughs.
And while Johan discovers a new world in the United States, Miguel remains in Colombia doing what he loves. He says that although they are separated, there will always be that past that unites them and that it is impossible to forget, especially for him who frequents the scene of the accident every day.
Every three or four times a week he must pass by. It is an obligatory stop on the way you must travel to visit your daughter and the mother of the little girl, who live in a village in La Ceja, Antioquia.
He stops, prays an Our Father and asks for the people who died there. Little does he think about the strong scenes they had to see that day, rather the survivors that he, his son and the rescue team helped save, cross his mind.
They haven’t had communication with them lately. Each one has already continued living their way and trying to rebuild life after the tragedy.
In Johan’s life, for his part, a new chapter has been added to that list of unforgettable dreams and experiences he has lived: having a home of his own, traveling to other countries, meeting the Real Madrid players and James when he was still part from that team, receive the Knightly Order in Brazil and now, study abroad.
(You can continue reading: The town that after 4 years does not forget the tragedy of Chapecoense)
Aura Saavedra Alvarez
Editor ELTIEMPO.COM
On twitter: @AuraSaavedra_
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