Parents of SoCal travelers in Brussels share relief and sadness
Several people from the L.A. area were at Brussels Airport Tuesday when two bombs went off.
Members of the nonprofit Containers for Hope team were on a mission to give orphans in Liberia aid and support.
But they needed help themselves Tuesday morning in Brussels.
Seven of the team members were either students, alumni or faculty from Whittier Christian High School, including Taryne and Brett.
They texted their parents as they were being shuttled into the terminal in Belgium to tell them they heard something was going on.
Rolland and Angela say they didn't know how bad things were until hours later.
"Rol came and got me and said you kinda need to see what's happening in the news, and that was when it became real," said Angela.
The kids stayed in an airplane hanger until they were moved to a Belgian warehouse, where they used anything they could to keep warm.
"They were going to Africa - they didn't have any clothes to keep warm," said Rolland.
Even though his kids are ok, he still feels deep pain.
"I've been fighting anger and sadness about the other families that aren't ok. That we live in an evil world. And that we saw that there," said Rolland.
Taryne and Brett are both headed to another major European city. They plan to head to Liberia after to continue their mission.
Sebastien Bellin was another traveler with ties to Southern California.
The professional basketball player's parents live in San Clemente.
He lay bleeding at the airport after one of the blasts.
One of his former coaches from Oakland University in Detroit says Bellin has already undergone one surgery and will have another one to remove shrapnel from his hip.
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