Tragedy & Miracle:

"Learning to walk again was the most difficult. But I learned not to take things for granted and to enjoy every second now. I'd always had my priorities straight, but when you almost lose everything it really sets you straight."

***

- "Life is just a dangerous place. I think that perhaps that bus accident was my destiny. But what came from that accident was totally in my control, how I dealt with that accident, how my life was shaped from it."

Gloria's life has never been easy. So many tragedies happened, yet she maintains a beautiful happiness and strength and positiveness towards life:

The early years:
Gloria's early years were hard. Her father, Jose, participated in the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion.
Jose spent a year and a half in a prison. During this time Gloria and her mother lived in a ghetto, near the Orange Bowl in Miami.
But, hardship still continued to follow her father. He was left paralized by the effects Agent Orange after serving in Vietnam.
When her mother went to work at a local school, Gloria had to tend to her terribly sick father and her little sister, Rebecca.
Her only source of comfort was a guitar she was given when she was 12 years old. She often sang the Top 40 songs, alone,
in her room for hours.

The accident that shocked the world:
March 20, 1990, when disaster struck and Gloria's dreams were shattered.
Gloria slept in her tour bus which had stopped along a Pennsylvania Interstate highway, a speeding semi-truck smashed into it from behind. She knew immediately that her back was broken. A delicate surgery was performed that required two 8-inch titanium rods to be placed on either side of her spine. The operation was a success. She needed 400 stiches to close the 14-inch incision.
But within one year of the accident she was performing on stage again. During that time of excruciating pain, Gloria received thousands of letters, telegrams and floral arrangements from well wishers.
In 1992 she was able to return the favor by organizing a benefit concert (Hurricane Relief) which raised three million dollars for the victims of Hurricane Andrew.

The recent disaster:
More recently in September 1995 the Estefans suffered a traumatic incident when a jetskier collided with their boat and sadly died.
Emilio jumped into the cold water to try and save the victim, but all help came too late.

After all Gloria and her family has been through, Gloria says, "Shit happens, I know. But man, at times I've wished shit would go somewhere else for a while." Maybe it finally has.