- previous
- 1
- 2
- | single page
Maria Panagos, left, and Kalliopi "Kalli" Atteya, are shown in the Broadway Deli in Chambersburg, Pa. The sisters say they will not give up trying to find Niko Atteya, who allegedly was kidnapped by his father in Egypt. (Photo by Roxann Miller, Staff Writer) |
CHAMBERSBURG, Pa.—
When Kalli and Maria were shoved out of the car that was also carrying Niko and his father, Maria hung on to the back of the car. "I was dragged by the car. My arms and legs were scraped up, because I didn't want to let go, because I knew when I did, he (Niko) was gone," Maria said. "I had to decide between leaving my sister alone in the desert or hanging on to the car. It was the hardest part, because I knew once I let go he was gone."
"You are just walking dead. Your body is here, but you're dead," Kalli said about living day to day without her son.
Both Kalli and Maria know they must remain strong for Niko.
"I constantly remind myself that I can't break down. I tell myself, "Don't lose your mind now, because you're not going to come out of it'" Kalli said.
She clings to the positive memories of her son.
"Even at his age, he would give me a kiss and tell me how much he loved me. I used to tell him how much his kisses made me melt," Kalli said.
Kalli wants her son to know: "Mommy loves him bunches and bunches, and I will never give up. I will die trying."
As she goes through her ordeal, Kalli has learned to treasure life's smallest blessings.
"Don't take anything for granted," she said.
Both sisters say it's the support of their family and the Franklin County community that has kept them going.
"We want to thank everybody in our community from the bottom of our hearts. When we felt like we were going to have a breakdown and lose it, it's the community that gave us the strength and kept us motivated to keep fighting," Maria said.
