From 0 to Hero: Larger than life
I find myself this time waiting to confirm if it’s cancer or something else. Symptoms have been creeping up for months. To my surprise, the British National Health System is not as efficient and speedy as one would expect with so many resources. Coming from Latin America, I’ve experienced first hand similar health situations in countries like Argentina and Brazil; but the responses were much timelier and more empathetic. I assume it’s all about human resources and not financial ones that make all the difference.
Anyway, I’m taking a tangent. Why “larger than life”? Because I’ve shown myself I am. This is one of several setbacks life has thrown at me. A kind of leukaemia when I was four (thrombocytopenic purpura), asthma crises that floored me for days and resulted in a childhood and teen years with little to no physical activities (a fast walk would have taken me directly to hospital or the nebulizer and I’d have been so high on medication my whole body would have been shacking). When things seemed to be improving, around my 20s, more ongoing issues… I even caught Covid and was battling for my life back in 2020 before the vaccines came into the market.
It’s a fact. I look stunning, mainly because of my own efforts at the gym and kitchen. But, I know, I’m a walking miracle, literally.
One of my neighbours said something very wise… people don’t dee pain. I agree. And, I’d add, even when they see pain in others, most people step aside and let you deal with it on your own.
Despite everything, I’ve always known something I learnt when I was four. The physical comes and goes. I am more than this body. I am larger than life because I am God’s child. And I’ve always known myself blessed for such a gift.
To those silent warriors who are fighting the good fight, remember, we are never alone.
Manchester, Monday 10th June 2024
Dr Jorge Emilio Núñez
Twitter: @DrJorge_World
