The twin earthquakes that devastated Venezuela last Wednesday changed the course of thousands of its people. With more than 1000 casualties, the country is still searching for any life left under the rubble. Despite the intensifying rescue effort, heartbreaking stories continue to emerge from the disaster zone. One such story was with Venezuelan footballer Hector Bello.

His wife, Andrea Bello, made the ultimate sacrifice to save their one-year-old daughter as their apartment building collapsed. Her extraordinary act of courage even drew praise from tennis legend Martina Navratilova, who paid tribute to her heroism.

“RIP Andrea, a true hero,” Navratilova shared via X.

Reportedly, the building where Andrea was living with her daughter, Alana, collapsed after the catastrophe. While Hector was away from home during the disaster, rescuers later found Andrea under the rubble, shielding her daughter. Alana was saved, and she is now stable along with her aunt, but Andrea couldn’t be saved.

“You’ll always be our favorite heroine, Mommy,” Bello over social media. “I’ll make sure to remind our baby girl how wonderful you were and how much you loved her. I’ll tell her the story of how you saved her, my love — how you gave your own life for our daughter, how you were a brave woman who, even as you breathed your last breaths, never abandoned her.”

Cumaná de Campeones, a local Venezuelan soccer organization, mentioned: “His daughter survived the collapse of the building where the entire family lived. The entire state of Sucre and the entire football community embrace you and stand with you in respect and solidarity, hoping you find peace in this time of sorrow.”

Hector plays as a defender with Venezuela’s professional soccer team, Marítimo de La Guaira. But for now, it is his wife whose bravery is being commended all across.

Andrea’s bravery moves no wonder Navratilova, who always stays vocal on different social and political issues.

Just recently, Navratilova was vocal about how Iran was treated during their FIFA World Cup games in the US.

“There was absolutely no reason to make the Iran team do this other than spite,” the former tennis star said about Iran being forced to leave their venue immediately every time and return to their base in Tijuana, Mexico.

Iran was already devastated after their last group game against Egypt in Seattle, but as per the initial travel advisories, the team was asked to leave US soil immediately for Mexico. Footage went viral showing how the Iranian players, still recovering from their World Cup heartbreak, came back to their Mexican base in the early morning.

“They didn’t even give us time to recover,” Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei said. “After the game today, they said to us, You have to leave immediately.”

Navratilova couldn’t help but protest the act. This time, though, Martina Navratilova’s reaction towards Hector Bello’s wife was heartbreaking. The 28-year-old Bello will surely continue to defend against the rivals on the field, but after Wednesday, he now has an increased responsibility: that of his child.