Every time I return to Brazil, it feels like stepping into a cherished memory—warm embraces from loved ones, laughter with lifelong friends, and the unmistakable comfort of home. These trips usually fill my soul with nostalgia, connection, and the rhythm of my roots.

But this time, it’s different.

This time, I’m not just returning as a daughter of Brazil—I’m coming back with a mission. A mission that beats louder than any samba drum. A mission born from survival, sculpted by gratitude, and fueled by a fire that refuses to be extinguished.

I’m coming to speak about CPR, AEDs, and heart health—to raise awareness, educate, and advocate. To remind people that a single skill, a single device, a single moment of courage… can save a life. I’ll be on a book tour, meeting with health leaders, speaking with advocates, and collaborating with the American Heart Association’s chapter in Brazil. And perhaps most tender of all, I may find myself standing at the very place where my heart once stopped beating… and where hope was born anew.

This mission is just beginning

This mission didn’t begin in Brazil. It began in a miracle. It began the night I came back from death with no memory of what happened, only a husband who refused to give up, a family who rallied, and a device that shocked my heart back to life. I may be Brazilian, but this calling has no borders. It knows no nation, color, or creed. It belongs to anyone with a heart—literally.

Living in America, I’ve seen CPR awareness grow—but there is still so much more to do. And in Brazil, and in so many developing nations, the need is even greater. We can’t wait. We can’t keep losing lives that could have been saved by knowledge, by access, by action. What the action of one person can change, you ask me?

For that life I may help saving and their family, it will mean everything

So I go… not on vacation, but on a journey of purpose.

I invite you to walk with me—through every page I sign, every hand I shake, every tear I shed, and every story I share. This is only the beginning. Something powerful is unfolding. Something urgent. Something full of hope.

Stay with me. The most emotional chapters are yet to come.

Yours truly,
Jana Bonassi – author, health advocate and survivor!

#heartofhope #coracaodeesperanca #Brazil #hope #cprsaveslives