New Haven Independent

(Obituary sent in by Dixon Jiménez, secretary of the Ecuadorian Community “Virgen del Cisne.” Translated by the Independent.)

Geovana Alexandra Tapia Gualán, was born on Sept. 2, 1985, in the province of Zamora Chinchipe, Ecuador. When she was 16, her father Belarmino Tapia decided to take Geovana and her brother Jairo to the U.S.

When Geovana got to New York, her father returned to Ecuador, leaving her and her brother practically alone. She met Don José y Beatriz Jara, who became a second family to her. She graduated with honors from the Eli Whitney Technical High School in Hamden.

On June 3, 2007, Geovana was diagnosed with Leukemia. Nonetheless, she remained an active member of her church. During her first bout of chemotherapy, she donated her locks of hair to charity.

“As her hospital visits grew more and more frequent, she dedicated herself to creating arts and crafts while clinging onto life with the hope of eradicating her illness,” said José y Beatriz Jara in a press release sent in by Ecuadorian Community “Virgen del Cisne.”

“I was surprised by the supernatural way Geovana Tapia responded when she learned of her own illness,” said Padre Juan Carlos Garzón in the statement. Garzón is a young Ecuadorian minister who’s replacing Father Jim Manship at St. Rose’s Church while Manship visits Ecuador.

“She was a model immigrant who led an admirable life,” Garzón said, “and we give thanks to God that we had the opportunity to know her.”