The Impossible Family

Maria Belón, a doctor, and her husband, Enrique Álvarez, were on Christmas vacation at a hotel in Khao Lak, Thailand. On December 26, 2004, Belón was at the poolside while her husband and three sons, Lucas, 10, Tomás, 8, and Simón, 5, were swimming in the pool.

After a huge tsunami wave hit and swept her away from her family, she was able to hold onto a tree trunk, waiting for the tsunami to finish. There, she saw her son Lucas screaming for help 15 metres away. She swam after him, trying to save him, but after a second large wave hit, she got wounded critically. After the tsunami calmed down, Belón could swim to land with Lucas. When she reached the land, she noticed that she was covered with serious injuries. Her right leg was the most damaged. She was able to dress her leg wound with palm tree leaves.

Belón and Lucas continued walking looking for safety. Throughout the walk she was losing too much blood and her son had to help her walk. Lucas found a tree that the two could climb up. Maria was in too much pain to climb up the tree alone, so Lucas helped her to climb on top of him in order for her to get into the tree. After waiting in the tree for some time, the two were saved by locals from a nearby village who were coming to check the wreckage. Belón was then taken to a hospital with her son.

While his mother was healing, Lucas was able to reunite with his father and two brothers, who happened to be in the hospital as well, and brought the family together. Once she was better, Belón and her family were transferred to a hospital in Singapore, where she received further treatment and then they were finally able to go home.

The doctors in the hospital in Singapore said she she was under water for more than three minutes, because her lungs were full of water. Maria Belon said, in an interview, that she was not in physical pain but the drowning was like being in a spin-dryer.

The story of the family was made into a movie in 2012, starring Naomi Watts (Maria Belon) and Evan McGregor (Enrique Alvarez – the husband). Today’s rising actor Tom Holland portrayed Lucas – the oldest son of the family. The movie The Impossible received positive reviews from critics. After they finished making the movie, the actress Naomi Watts and Maria Belon became close friends.