Widowed father pays emotional tribute to wife by recreating photoshoot with their daughter
Emotional tribute goes viral with many touched by the heartfelt memorial
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A bereaved husband has paid tribute to his late wife by recreating photos they had taken together with their three-year-old daughter in her place.
Rafael del Col, 35, lost his wife Tatiane Valques, 27, in 2013 after she was killed in a road accident.
But the Brazilian has kept her memory alive by recreating a photoshoot the couple did shortly before their 2009 wedding - with their daughter Raisa in her place.
Raisa, who never knew her mum as Tatiane died before her first birthday, literally stepped into her mother’s shoes as she wore her clothing and jewellery for the new shoot.
SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO
The family dog Raul, who featured in the original shoot, also returned to play his part in the tribute.
The memorial is unusual, but it has melted the hearts of people across the world, with the story going viral.
Mr del Col started a blog after losing his wife of four years to support others facing similar heartbreak.
It has amassed thousands of views and his Instagram account now has more than 16,000 followers.
On his blog Mr de Col wrote: “Shortly after I lost my wife, I was seeking help regarding early widowhood and also paternity without the presence of the mother and found almost nothing.
“Now, thank God, things are adjusting slowly, my daughter is well, and is growing, developing normally.
“But beside my responsibilities with my princess, I need to deal with feelings of grief, and the loss of my partner with whom I lived for 10 wonderful years.”
Mr de Col, who has gone on to find love again with a new girlfriend, got the idea for the tribute shoot after reading about a man who had lost his wife to cancer recreating their wedding photos with his daughter.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments