Dramatic photo captures nun texting friends after Italy earthquake
The image of an injured, bloodied nun, calmly texting friends and family in the wake of the deadly earthquake in Italy, has captured the internet's attention.
The photograph of Albania native Marjana Lleshi was taken by photographer Massimo Percossi of the Agenzia Nazionale Stampa Associata (ANSA, Italy's leading wire service) on Wednesday in Amatrice, Italy, a city that suffered widespread damage from the earthquake which has so far claimed at least 250 lives.
Speaking to the Associated Press on Thursday, Lleshi, who was asleep in her room at the Don Minozzi convent next to the Church of the Most Holy Crucifix, detailed how she was trapped under a collapsed wall.
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Believing there was no hope for rescue, the 35-year-old nun said she began to text friends.
"When I started losing all hope of being saved, I resigned myself to it and started sending messages to friends saying to pray for me and to pray for my soul and I said goodbye to them forever... I couldn't send a message like this to my family because I was afraid that my father would have an emotional collapse and die hearing something like that."
But Lleshi was rescued by a local man, whom she called an "angel," and she was able to text those friends and family to let them know she had survived.
Lleshi spent much of Thursday getting medical checks for dust inhalation and her head wound, which required stitches. Once back home, she wept as she thought of her family.
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The earthquake also took others close to her. At the time of the quake, Lleshi was one of seven nuns who was caring for five elderly women at the convent. According to the AP, three of the nuns and four of the elderly women were killed.
As for Lleshi, who was recovering at her order's headquarters in Ascoli Piceno, she hopes to be able to attend the September 4 canonization of Mother Teresa in Rome, but the damage caused by the quake makes such a trip unlikely.
"For me she's the symbol of Albania, of a strong woman," she said of Teresa. "I would have liked to go, but after this I don't think I can."
Additional reporting by the Associated Press
Marcus Gilmer is Mashable's Assistant Real-Times News Editor on the West Coast, reporting on breaking news from his location in San Francisco. An Alabama native, Marcus earned his BA from Birmingham-Southern College and his MFA in Communications from the University of New Orleans. Marcus has previously worked for Chicagoist, The A.V. Club, the Chicago Sun-Times and the San Francisco Chronicle.
