It was said that when the street children disappeared, it was because they were stolen for their organs. I never knew if I believed it, really.

This was not on my mind when I came back to Brazil. There were too many other inequalities. The idea that poor children were being snatched for organs to be given to rich Americans back in the States was a little too far-fetched. Children were dying visibly, in front of us, for reasons that we could understand and prevent. So it wasn’t a priority.

I didn’t really believe.

There wasn’t any reason, at first, not until I became a liability.