Decrease Suck for Cecilia Gimenez? (The lady behind "Potato Jesus")

[Kat]

So that painting and article have been making the rounds around the internet: a lady took it upon herself to restore a badly-damaged fresco painting, and the results were...less than stellar. I'm sure that it's a source of a bit of amusement and maybe also bewilderment for many people: why did she do it? Did she do it like that on purpose? How did she do it? The questions seem neverending.

Did you know that this poor woman feels so much shame and anxiety over her mistake that she has completely retreated from the rest of the world? Her family told newspapers that she is hiding in a "blanket nest of shame" and that they have to make sure that she eats.

I don't think it's fair. Sure, it's a pretty big mistake, but everybody makes mistakes--and sometimes even really big ones. She didn't hurt anyone, didn't kill anyone, didn't make any racist or sexist or any kind of -ist remarks in public. She did what she thought was right--putting in an effort to repair a piece of art history that had, up until now, gone completely ignored and unpreserved. 

I created a petition on Change.org. I know, I know: petitions don't usually do a whole lot in the grand scheme of things. It was just the simplest way I could think of that we could try to show her that the entire world is not laughing at her. I don't know if it'll ever reach her area of the world, or if it'll get big enough to even matter, but I had to put in the effort.

This is the link to the petition. Please, could you sign it? You don't even have to write any kind of long and heartfelt note with your signature: just the fact that you're adding your name to the list of people who don't hate her is enough. If you could share it with your friends, well...so much the better, but no one can force you to do that. 

I know that this is very very small compared to world hunger and cancer and war and all of those terrible things that add way too much suck to the world, but think about how this woman must feel. I think her world sucks a lot right now.

[Tova C.E]

I wish there was a way to just send a letter directly to her. Like anti-hate mail (Love mail?).

[Mireya M]

I signed :)
I'm from mexico btw...someone said something about being fluent in Spanish in the comments,so if I can help in any way please let me know :)
172 people have signed and I will definitely share it .

[peahat]

Aahh! I'm so sad to hear that that's how she's reacting to all of this. I thought it was really brave and proactive of her to try and restore it. I was hoping she was taking the international attention in stride or something.

Signed. I hope this petition helps. I'd like to be a part of any movement to send her any letters or anything too.