A French family stuck in Utah for more than a month has new hope of getting home.
The Dia family lives in France and had their RV shipped over for a 7-month cross-country trip that would eventually take them into South America.
The family saved for years for the trip, and everything was going smoothly until the RV broke down just outside of Bryce Canyon National Park.
The French-made RV needs an engine shipped over from France to be repaired.
The Perkins family, who live in Kanab, found out about the Dia’s situation and invited them into their home where they’ve been living since.
“It was a sad experience at the beginning, we were afraid, and now we know several people,” Rose Dia said.
Rose, her husband and two children have been trying to find an engine, in France, compatible with their RV.
They said they’ve found one and a mechanic in Utah that can install it.
What they didn’t have was the $12,000 to buy and it ship it over from France.
That is until complete strangers found out about the Dia’s predicament and chipped in to help raise the money.
“It’s thanks to you that we can continue, so every day we are thinking of them,” Rose said to anyone who donated.
The Utah Jazz organization heard about the issue back in December and offered the family tickets to Wednesday night’s game, which the family graciously accepted.
They had hoped to meet their fellow countryman Rudy Gobert, but the Jazz superstar is out with COVID-19.
But, Rose and the family still had a message for their fellow countryman saying ,“Rudy is famous, one of the best players in the NBA, and (we) hope the Jazz win tonight!”
The family’s travel visas expire in a few days, and they will fly to Guatemala on Saturday.
They plan to stay there for a month and hope the engine is installed by then, at which point they will return to Utah to get their RV.
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