OUR STORY

Born from loss. Rooted in love. Driven by action.

Filha de Zinha was born from a loss that changed our family forever.

Our story begins with my aunt, Mizinha Mendes, a woman who dedicated her life to caring for others and to the country and people she loved. When she presented to the hospital with clear signs of a stroke and aneurysm, the care she needed did not come in time. The warning signs were not recognized, and what should have been an opportunity to intervene became a devastating fight for her life. She was eventually placed on life support, and later, we lost her.

When I went to the hospital, I expected to see my aunt fighting for her life. Instead, I saw something much larger.

I saw the condition of the hospital. I saw the realities faced by the people who depended on it. And I saw, in a way I had never seen before, the healthcare challenges facing a country that my aunt and grandmother loved deeply and had devoted so much of themselves to.

But the loss did not end with my aunt.

My grandmother never recovered from losing another child. The grief became something her body carried every day. Slowly, the trauma of that loss took its toll, and we watched as the woman who had spent her life caring for others began to decline herself.

We lost two extraordinary women. But their story did not end with their passing.

It became our reason to act.

Filha de Zinha was created to honor their lives by continuing the work they believed in: caring for our people, advocating for those whose voices may not be heard, and fighting for a healthcare system where people receive the attention, dignity, and care they deserve.

We cannot change what happened to our family.

But we can work to make sure another family does not have to experience what ours did.

We can be a voice for patients who cannot speak for themselves.
We can advocate for families navigating systems that have failed them.
We can support communities in moments when they need care the most.
And we can continue pushing for meaningful change in healthcare for our people.

This is more than an organization. It is a continuation of a legacy.

A legacy of two women who gave so much of themselves to others.

A legacy of love, care, and action.

And a promise that their lives—and their losses—will not be forgotten.