It’s no wonder what happens when you bring people together. You overcome obstacles, bridge differences, and even inspire others. But what about when hardworking women come together? You make magic happen. 

This was the case back in 2014 when make-up artist Nicole Bryl learned about Marina Garcia, a modern day Mother Therese who helped out her community. Though they had never met, Nicole became used to hearing of Marina’s endeavors. 

One day, Nicole learnt of Marina’s fight with her insurance company which kept delaying her cancer surgery, and the more they waited the lower Marina’s chances of surviving. In the spirit of paying it forward, Nicole reached out to her friends. Her emails reached philanthropist Daissy de Kanavos, who then connected Nicole with Angela Maria Tafur, the president of Give To Colombia. 

Together they created the campaign “Save Marina” and they were able to raise the money for the operation. But on the same day the Give To Colombia team notified Marina of the good news, her insurance kicked in. Upon becoming cancer free, Marina was visited by Nicole and it was there where they learned just how connected their lives had been. Marina had worked in the fashion industry in NYC in the very Gimbles where Nicole’s mother had taken her as a child. But Marina still used her skills to cloth poor children in Colombia.  

Inspired, Nicole went back to New York and reached out to designers such as Carolina Herrera and Naeem Khan. They fell in love with the story and donated materials so Marina could continue making clothing for children. With Give To Colombia’s help, the money raised was then used to support a children’s cancer facility in Pereira and to buy a new sewing machine for Marina. With her new gift, Marina has now taken it upon herself to teach other women to sew. 

Though these women were worlds apart, they all came together to make this beautiful story happen.