Not one day passes where I don’t have a heavy heart for the tragic events we witness. I need good stories with a happy ending to restore my faith and keep hoping.

One of these stories inspired this painting; its protagonist is an 18-year-old girl, Yusra Mardini. Three years ago, she jumped into the winter sea with her older sister to pull a boat with a broken motor, safely towing it to the island Lesbos; it was packed with 20 people for the dangerous crossing of the Aegean Sea from Syria.

She fled to Germany, where she was chosen to participate in the refugee team at the Olympics.