A Brazilian woman cleaned in the US, beat cancer and is now launching a reality show about construction

A Brazilian woman cleaned in the US, beat cancer and is now launching a reality show about construction


Silu Scheffer lived hidden on a construction site and today stands out in Florida’s Latino community

Born into a humble family in the small Campo Erê, west of Santa Catarina, and raised in Florianópolis, Silu Scheffer experienced the joys and sufferings of the “American dream”, the American dream that leads so many Brazilians to risk America, legally and illegally.

Almost nine years ago she emigrated without any prospects. “In Brazil I was in financial crisis. A friend invited me to spend two months in the United States. I came to the country with 20 dollars,” she says.

At the end of the term he decided to stay in Florida, but he had nowhere to live. “I took refuge in a house that was under construction, I slept amidst the construction. I spent the day on the street thinking about what to do. It was a period of desert, of profound learning.”

He also rented an inflatable mattress to sleep on. A friend of hers saved her from that situation of profound helplessness and loneliness. Being a relevant part of Brazilian immigrants, Silu worked hard in cleaning. “On the worst days I thought about giving up and returning to Brazil, but there was a strength that moved me,” she recalls.

After difficult times, she left housekeeping and began teaching as a personal trainer. Little by little her life began to improve. “After a few affairs that added nothing, I met the man who would become my husband.”

Today Silu and his partner Zak Roberts work as real estate agents, manage investments and prepare to launch a reality show about building a house from scratch. It will be broadcast on a regional television channel and on the Internet.

“The property will be built with shipping containers on a nature-rich island. We show the daily work. At the end of each episode a problem will be presented to be solved in the next chapter,” she explains.

On her long journey to success, the Santa Catarina native had to deal with cancer. “One of the turning points in my life was when I was diagnosed with the disease. I accepted that I had to deal with this. Instead of asking God “why?”, I asked myself why I lived like this. I was taken by a great love and gave a new meaning to my life.”

Green card holder, happily married and professionally successful, with a notable presence on TV and radio in Miami, Silu Scheffer wants to use the reality show as an educational platform for Brazilians who want to immigrate.

“Dreams are possible, but planning is necessary. I don’t want anyone to go through what I went through.”






The Brazilian in one of the hospitalizations to treat cancer: the disease was the turning point in a life full of ups and downs


Above, Silu Scheffer with her husband, Zak Roberts, and at a television taping in Florida;  below, the project of the house that will be built in the reality show

Source: Terra

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