Former drug addict, whose life was transformed after catching Madonna’s attention, travels to see the queen of pop | Fantastic

Fantastic accompanies fan journey that takes Madonna into his heart

Among the thousands of fans who filled Copacabana beach for Madonna’s show this Saturday (4), there was one in particular: the Maria Solange. (See the video above). A former drug addict whose life was transformed after a video shared by the queen of pop in 2020.

Today, in Guarulhos, Greater São Paulo, Maria Solange’s life is full of achievements. She lives in a rented house, went back to school and works in a factory.

But it was not always so. A former drug addict, she worked as a “mule”, transporting drugs from Fortaleza, where she was born, to Manaus. And her son, Xavier, also followed the path of crime. He was murdered because of drugs and theft.

“And he said: ‘Mom, on the day I die, I don’t want to hear about you crying. I don’t want to hear about you being sad. I want to see you smiling, singing, dancing, always happy like you always were. And with Three months after they had murdered him, I arrived at Edmar’s bar, who is our friend… And I said: Edmar, play some music for me to dance to, because I want to dance for my son”, says Maria Solange.

The video of Maria Solange dancing to “Holiday” in Manaus went viral — and even reached Madonna, who posted it on social media. “Life seems like one bad story after another? On days like this, we just have to turn on the music and dance,” wrote Madonna.

“Then I was like: huh? Who? Madonna? Noticed me, what do you mean? Noticed me, what is that?”, he says.

With Madonna’s post, Maria Solange gained new opportunities. With support from the NGO Brilliant Partners, from Manaus, she gained weight and a new smile. She began a rehabilitation process and reunited with her family in Fortaleza. She says she was already a fan of Madonna.

“A lot. I’ve been a Madonna fan for 14 years, I’ve just never been able to afford CDs, books, magazines, clothes […]; Much gratitude to God and everyone, and I feel like a very victorious woman. I feel like a very strong woman. I can say that I am a fortress, because it is not easy. It’s not easy at all. There were 32 years of drug use,” she reports.

Maria Solange went to Rio de Janeiro for the first time to watch Madonna’s show and make a dream come true: stay very close to her.

The day before the big show, she visited tourist attractions in the city, such as Christ the Redeemer and Sugarloaf Mountain, where she was recognized by Madonna fans.

On Saturday (4), she sang along with the queen of pop the song that made her known on social media and was moved: “I’m making my dream come true. It’s for my son”, she said.

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