With his book he seeks to generate awareness and respect for a condition that many live.
Joshua Rivera, Lupus patient.
“In the middle of the desert you are going through, there is hope and there is someone who thinks of you and knows your pain, no matter what they have discovered, this is not synonymous with death, you did not lose, you won, this is one more battle and forward,” he said. Joshua Rivera
Josue Rivera, patient from Lupustalked with Medicine y Public health about his experience living with this disease since he was 13 years old and how his wife and family were key to fighting this disease.
“I was diagnosed with condition from Systemic Lupus Erythematosus with Renal Nephritis”, so said Josué, who never got sick.
The patient he told exclusively to Medicine and Public Health that they began to do all kinds of studies on him, for the year 1993 he was diagnosed with this serious disease that caused pain in his arms, in his belly and even blood in his urine.
“It attacked not only my kidney but all my internal organs, including my liver and bones, the doctors were against the clock,” he said.
Rivera explained that they began their treatment with chemotherapy called Sytoxana very strong medicine that works by slowing or stopping the growth of cancer cells in the body.
At that time Josué could not attend classes, in the hospital his friend and his brothers could see him for a short time and with a mask, following a disinfection protocol.
By the summer of 1994 he was able to return to classes, but he had to wear a mask and be very careful because if someone was sick he had to get away.
The process to create this book was because Josué wanted to somehow reach other patients with conditions like Lupus. In it hospital Saint George The nurses called him and asked if he could visit these patients. He went, kept them company and prayed for them.
“What started as something for others, ended up being my therapy”
This book is entitled “Reborn”, because after each process when nothing else could be done, it would come back to life again and move forward on the path.
His mom wrote a chapter, his wife Monica he wrote another chapter, so in this book he not only talks about his condition, but also about the economic part because this disease is usually very expensive.
Su wife in the last chapters wrote about the decision to take him to USAsince the doctors needed a second opinion. “She talks about her perspective as a wife and as a woman facing this condition.”
Josué was unable to have children because, although his doctors asked him to freeze his sperm, he did not want to, thinking that he would not live long.
People ask him if Lupus can be hereditary, but according to his experience, this is only up to the doctor, however, he claims to have friends with Lupus who have children who are completely healthy.
Other of the most difficult decisions he had to make was to go on a diet and improve his mood, since it is very important for patients with various terminal illnessesbecause going into depression defenses are lowered, the condition takes advantage and ends with the patient’s life.
“The doctor can give you the best treatment in the world, however if in your mind you believe that you are going to die and that you are not going to get ahead, it is useless to give you medicine if 50% of the improvement is you”
Some days when Josué was trying to write, his body just wouldn’t respond to him, there were times when he just couldn’t get out of bed. Fortunately, his wife Monica was there, who helped him write while he told her his story.
His book is available on Amazon as “Back to Birth – Josué Rivera” and can also be found in bookstores in the metropolitan area of Puerto Rico.
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