Over the weekend Nora and I and our families were shattered. Nora’s sister, Lourdes Violeta Briceno, was murdered on Saturday night in Lima, Peru.

Violeta was one of the most beautiful, talented, and caring individuals I have ever met. She was 31 years old and had just finished her chief OBGYN residency at a major hospital in Lima Peru. She was just starting her career as an attending physician and was well respected within her profession.

Her wake was on Sunday evening and it was attended by over 50 physicians and hundreds of friends and past patients. She was a gifted physician and her patients frequently would request to be seen only by her.

Violeta was well known for her compassion and for helping out the poor in Peru. She would frequently perform surgeries and deliveries that patients could not pay for. She was extremely giving, a trait she inherited from her family.

On Saturday night she had finished a long tough 5 hour surgery around 8PM and she then met a friend that evening to have coffee and talk. Around 10PM she and her friend left the cafe and we are assuming she caught a taxi. On Sunday morning her body was discovered on the highway. She was shot 3 times through her chest hitting her heart.

Nora’s family is extremely giving. Her parents are teachers by profession and years ago they started a private school. Her family has literally dedicated their lives to education. They frequently will accept kids who cannot afford school. Nora’s father always finds a way to fit them into the school and get them the best education possible. Nora’s family is in the process of expanding the school in Lima, they want to build on 3 more levels so the school can be expanded. I am trying desperately to understand the tragedy of her sister’s loss and find something positive that can come out of such sadness.

Many of you know that Nora and I were married on January 7th 2006 and we were planning on having a 2nd wedding in Peru on June 9th. Many of you were kind enough to call and inquire about our wedding registry for gift purposes. We felt so blessed by what we already have that we had decided to not accept any wedding gifts.

We are now reaching out to our friends and families. The first thing that we ask is that you pray for our family during this time of need. Our hearts are broken and there are no words to explain our loss, not to mention the loss to Peru and society. There are just no words to put it in perspective.

The second thing we ask, if you wish to respond, is for a donation, no matter how small, in Violeta’s name. My goal is to raise $60,000 to pay for the school addition to be named after her. I know this is a lofty goal but I would like to put it the perspective in her part of the world. Violeta was a new attending physician and was making $200 a week, the whole family takes taxis because of the cost of cars; and the extent to which they have gone to educate their children and other family’s children is astounding.

Anything you care to give in memory of Violeta will go towards completing the school building and furthering the education of many.

Please pass this on to friends and co-workers. It would mean so much to us.

Here is a link to an article about this tragedy and loss:
http://www.larepublica.com.pe/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=104353&Itemid=34&fecha_edicion=2006-03-06

Here is a secure link for donations through PayPal, a very secure payment method that accepts checks or credit cards:
http://www.paypal.com
Email: SchoolFunds@HomeTimeOnline.com
http://www.prestodonate.com/cgi-bin/order.pl?ref=BBurkart&fm=1


Peace be with you,
Brian & Nora Burkart
Prior Lake MN
612-889-3794