Father finds hidden notes from daughter who died three years ago

Sérgio Fermino discovered handwritten notes from his late daughter, Isabela Tibúrcio Fermino, hidden inside an old hairbrush. Isabela passed away three years ago at the age of seven after being struck by a falling tree in Campinas, São Paulo.

The discovery occurred shortly after Fermino visited his daughter's grave in Hortolândia and just before what would have been her 11th birthday. While using the hairbrush—an object he used to brush Isabela's hair daily—the brush fell and opened, revealing small rolled-up papers. The notes contained messages such as “Pai, aqui é a Isabela” (Dad, here is Isabela) and “Te amo” (I love you).

Fermino believes the notes were written during the pandemic while Isabela was learning to read and write. He described the find as an inexplicable gift and an act of divine kindness during a period of intense grief.