Estibalis Chavez, Mexican hunger striker, wins royal wedding trip
Mexican Estibalis Chavez held a hunger strike in front of the British embassy in Mexico City, on February 17, 2011.
A Mexican teenager, Estibalis Chavez, who went on a hunger strike to try to obtain an invitation to the upcoming British royal wedding, has received a free ticket to London.
Chavez, 19, left her home in the slums north of Mexico City in February and began a hunger strike outside the British Embassy, BBC reports.
Her 16-day fast made headlines around the world and touched the heart of a lobbyist, Octavio Fitch Lazo, who has lent her the money for airfare to the wedding, it states.
"At the time I didn't see it as something so drastic and dramatic," Chavez told BBC. "[People] said I risked my health for something many believe to be frivolous and silly. But, I think that for me, it was the only way to achieve my goal."
Prince William and Kate Middleton plan to wed April 29 in Westminster Abbey.
The airfare will enable Chavez to watch the wedding celebration from outside the church.
The lobbyist happened to walk by Chavez during her fast and decided to lend her the $1,250 for the flight, AP reports.
"It moved me to see that no one understood her very well … I think she is right to fight for what she wants," he told AP.
The teenager's mother died during her birth, and all Chavez has known about her mother is how much she loved Princess Diana, Prince William's mother.
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