The date of Beni Caixeta Gontijo's birth is quite mystifying as her mother reports it was July 7, 1952, but Benilda always said it was July 31, 1954. Officially, her passport states she was born on January 31, 1950. Born on the farm "Cabral" in the region of Patos de Minas, in the state Minas Gerais, Brazil, she was the second child of Maria Caixeta de Miranda and Afonso Jose Caixeta (deceased). One of nine children, her brothers and sisters are: Jaoa Carlos, Maria Jose, Maria de Lourdes, Iraci Carlos, Altair Carlos, Fatima Maria, Jose Carlos and Ronan Carlos. The internationally known actress Carmen Miranda was her great-aunt.

Benilda attended the Escola Jose Carlos from 1958-1960 where she learned basic reading, writing and mathematics. From 1960-1966 she attended the Escoloa S. do Carmo where she completed a liberal arts education and learned to read and write Portuguese and Spanish. Benilda showed a real talent for sewing and design, and from 1966-1976 she taught sewing classes, was a designer and seamstress. She was admired for her exquisite wedding dresses and Carnival costumes.

In 1976, after feeling a weakness in her muscles, she was hospitalized at the Centro de Reabiltacao Sarah Kubitschek in Brasilia. It was there she was diagnosed with a rare form of progressive muscular dystrophy. The symptoms were a loss of strength and mobility in her major muscle groups. She underwent surgery to extend the shortening of her muscles and provide relief. Unfortunately, after the surgeon cut the tendons in the backs of her arms and legs in order to "stretch" them, she was left in even worse shape and kept in

a full body cast for months on end. This created a host of other health problems she had to deal with. In August of 1978, she was sent to the National Institute of Health in Bethesda, Maryland to what they could do to improve her condition as well as study her very rare form of muscular dystrophy. She was treated until January of 1979. While an outpatient, she stayed at the Sisters of Mercy motherhouse in Potomac, Maryland. In February 1979, she met Dr. Susan Daniels who offered to assist her into gaining entrance at Louisiana State University Medical Center. She was transferred to the Delgado Rehab Center where she undertook intensive classes in English to reach a college level equivalency. In addition, she participated in rehabilitation programs designed to help her regain whatever strength was possible. Benny, as she became known to her friends, learned English beautifully, and was accepted into Louisiana State University. She graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Accounting in 1987.

Benny took on a number of jobs doing accounting for small businesses in New Orleans, but was unable to secure full-time employment primarily due to a lack of transportation or accessible facilities available in New Orleans. Not one to rest on her laurels, she wanted to become a more productive member of her community, so she began her career as a volunteer professional. She volunteered as a peer counselor at the New Orleans Center for Independent Living, she was a charter member of the Advisory Council for the Medicaid Purchase Plan, Committee Member of the Acquired Brain Injury Support Group, where she was asked to become President, and volunteered with The Advocacy Center assisting in completing satisfaction surveys for their clientele. In 2004, she was citied by the Governor of Louisiana for her work on behalf of persons with disabilities.

When the news came that Hurricane Katrina was heading towards New Orleans, Benilda made arrangements to be picked up by the local para transit service. She was to be taken to a local shelter established at the Ritz Carlton Hotel. When the transportation service failed to arrive, Benilda made dozens of phone calls to various agencies, emergency response teams, and friends to try to find a way to safer accommodations. By this time, the city had been closed down. Personal vehicles, as well as transportation services, were not allowed back into the city proper. Even police, fireman, National Guardsman, and the Red Cross were unavailable to help. Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans about 5 am on the morning of August 29th. Although the winds were strong, the damage was minimal. Benny was able to speak to a few friends, requesting information about the hurricane, as all electricity had been knocked out and her radio batteries were no longer working. It was not until the levee only a few blocks from her Bundy Road residence breached its banks that the water became a critical element. Benny was with her nurse assistant of three years, Rita Bailey, who was unable to remove Benny from her apartment amidst the rising waters. The last thing Benny said to Rita was to take her cell phone and address book and get to higher ground. She told her to save herself and try to get help. When the water rose to five feet, Benny was unable to save herself. Benilda died the morning of August 29, drowning at approximately 11 am when the waters of Lake Pontchartrain flooded the 9th district of New Orleans.

Rescue and response teams were slow to respond. Rita Bailey was airlifted off the roof of the apartment complex three days later and taken to safety in Houston, Texas. No effort was made to check on Benilda. It was nearly a week later, when a Brazilian news team covering the disaster went to her address, at the prompting of her family. When they arrived, they were able to see that her body was still inside the apartment. The devastation of New Orleans, and the re-flooding of the area after Hurricane Rita, delayed the recovery of her body until October 3, 2005. Benilda was identified after 10 weeks at the DMORT (Disaster Mortuary Operations Response Team) St. Gabriel's morgue in Baton Rouge.

Her close friends have decided that aside from this memorial website as a means to share our thoughts and feelings about our dear friend, we would like to hold a memorial service on the date of Benny's birthday, July 31, 2006, to commemorate her life and contributions. More information regarding plans for this event will be forthcoming in the months to follow. We hope that the City of New Orleans will be back in some state of habitability at that time, and we can properly acknowledge the wonderful life of Benilda Caixeta with those who loved her most.