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Gancci Saintelus, then 5 years old, is pictured after the amputation of his arm in Miami, Florida, in 2010. Gancci was trapped under the rubble of his family's collapsed apartment building after a 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit Haiti in January 2010. Photo provided by Jennifer Samuels, courtesy of Church News.All rights reserved.This story appears here courtesy of TheChurchNews.com. It is not for use by other media.
By Kaitlyn Bancroft, Church News
Gancci Saintelus doesn’t remember the tragedy.
He was 5 years old when a devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit Haiti on January 12, 2010, leaving 220,000 people dead and 300,000 injured, NPR reported.
The Saintelus family’s three-story apartment complex in Port-au-Prince collapsed on Gancci, his two younger siblings and a caretaker. The children’s father, Olghen, was at work, and their mother, Soline, was at the Centrale Ward building, meeting with the bishop about a new calling, Church News reported.
Fearing the worst, Olghen and Soline waited while search teams dug through the rubble. After an agonizing 10 hours, rescuers heard music — it was Gancci, singing Primary songs. He, his two siblings and their caretaker were miraculously alive, the only survivors in the collapsed building.
But Gancci’s wounds were serious and needed immediate attention. Unfortunately, it was another 12 hours before he was flown to Miami, Florida, where doctors at Holtz Children’s Hospital amputated his right arm.
The operation helped save his life, however, and the entire Saintelus family was soon reunited in Florida.
Now, over 14 years later, Gancci is returning to the state where he was healed — to serve as a full-time missionary. The soon-to-be Elder Saintelus recently accepted a call to the Florida Tampa Mission and will be set apart on June 23.
Though Gancci doesn’t remember the earthquake’s aftermath, his parents recall it vividly, from the fear of losing their children to grappling with the news that Gancci’s arm needed amputation.
But they also remember how calm Gancci was — how he sang and prayed while waiting for rescuers, certain his parents were coming for him.
That simple faith is still setting an example for his family.
“Regardless of the moment we are facing in this journey … faith in the Lord will always be the most important,” Olghen Saintelus said. “Do not let that [be] compromised. And the Lord surely can respond at the right time. You just have to knock.”
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Gancci Saintelus, then 5 years old, is pictured after the amputation of his arm in Miami, Florida, in 2010. Gancci was trapped under the rubble of his family's collapsed apartment building after a 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit Haiti in January 2010. Photo provided by Jennifer Samuels, courtesy of Church News.All rights reserved.
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Gancci Saintelus was 5 years old when he survived a 7.0 magnitude earthquake in Haiti. 14 years later, he’s preparing for missionary service. Photo provided by Olghen Saintelus, courtesy of Church News.All rights reserved.‘Miracles Still Exist’
Saintelus, who recently spoke on behalf of the family so that Gancci could stay focused on his missionary preparations, shared how supportive the Miami community was as Gancci recovered and the Saintelus family navigated their next steps.
Gancci was soon fitted for a prosthetic arm, and Saintelus, who had been in the process of applying for a green card before the earthquake, worked on obtaining legal residence for his family. Saintelus eventually became a U.S. citizen, a designation extended to his children because they were minors.
The Sainteluses moved to Utah in 2011, where they’ve made their home ever since. They also later welcomed two more children into their family.
Olghen Saintelus said Gancci showed remarkable resilience in adjusting to life after losing his arm. “He really is stronger emotionally than us as the parents.”
These days, Gancci is a faithful, optimistic young man of deep integrity who loves the gospel, his family and playing soccer, Saintelus said. Gancci is also an excellent student who recently completed his freshman year at Brigham Young University and plans on studying business administration when he returns to school after his mission.
When it comes to his mission, Saintelus said Gancci’s mindset is that of doing whatever the Lord asks him to do. The family is “very, very grateful” that Gancci’s lost arm doesn’t prohibit him from serving full time.
“The adversities, trials, burdens, blessings, pleasures, all of them are part of the test,” Saintelus said, adding, “The Lord’s grace and mercy is real, and miracles still exist.”
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