Statement from Atsu's wife: Sometimes I message him on WhatsApp

Claire Rupio, the wife of Hatayspor footballer Christian Atsu, who lost his life in the Kahramanmaraş-centered earthquake, spoke to The Athletic on the anniversary of the disaster.

Rupio said, "He had called the children before the match. We spoke after the match to congratulate him on his goal. Everything was normal; he was supposed to call on Monday, but he didn't."

"I TRIED TO STAY POSITIVE"

Explaining that she tried to stay positive after receiving the news of the earthquake, Rupio said, "I heard about the earthquake on the radio while taking the children to school. After dropping them off, I saw a lot of missed calls from Christiana and thought, 'What's happening?' I called her back. She told me, 'His building has collapsed.' I was in shock; I thought this couldn't be true. I had to pick the children up from school because I didn't want them to hear it from anyone else. I told them there had been an earthquake where their father was playing and that they hadn't found him yet. They deserved to know everything. They were very upset and cried. I tried to stay positive and told them their father would be okay."

Stating, "When I saw Nana's name on the phone around 3 a.m. on Saturday night, I understood. I answered the phone, and Nana was crying. He said, 'I'm so sorry,' and couldn't say anything else," Rupio continued:

"I TOLD THE CHILDREN THEY FOUND YOUR FATHER BUT COULDN'T SAVE HIM"

"I had to find a way to tell my children that their father had died. It was terrible; so many things were going through my mind. I told the children, 'They found your father, but they couldn't save him.' This is something I wish no parent ever has to do. It was heartbreaking; Christian was everything to them. Losing someone is hard for everyone, but we couldn't even say goodbye to him," she said.

"SOMETIMES I MESSAGE HIM ON WHATSAPP"

Saying that she still sends messages to Christian Atsu on WhatsApp, Rupio stated, "When people ask, 'How are you coping?' I say, 'I'm not coping. I'm just surviving every day.' Sometimes I message Christian on WhatsApp, just to pour my heart out... My daughter Abigail drew a picture on the 24th and said to me, 'Don't forget to send this to my dad.' At first, I said 'Okay,' but then I had to explain that Christian was watching her from above, and she was very upset."

"WE WILL ESTABLISH THE CHRISTIAN ATSU MEMORIAL FOUNDATION"

Stating that they will establish a foundation in Christian Atsu's name, Rupio concluded by saying, "I know there are five stages of grief, but I don't know which stage I am in right now. Sometimes I am in denial, sometimes I accept it. I feel like I am fluctuating and not moving forward. I also lost my mother and father, but the loss of Christian affected me more than anything else. We will establish the Christian Atsu Memorial Foundation in March to continue the charity work he did."

News Source: 12punto