Brazilian, born and raised in the city of São Paulo. A few years ago, I was diagnosed with an unknown autoimmune disease, and given a life expectancy of 7 years. Back then, the only cure available was through a bone marrow transplant, but my chances to find a compatible donor were less than 30%. And just like that, my rather comfortable life was turned upside down...

 

As many do when confronted with such life-changing, terrifying news, the cliché question “What I regret not doing in my life?” came to mind. “Singing!”, was almost the immediate answer.

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Truth be told, I like to sing since I was a kid. I remember Elvis Presley’s and Creedance Clearwater Revival’s vinyl laying around in the living room and how I enjoyed listening to it. Some of my favorite songs were Don’t be cruel, Bridge over troubled water and Someday never comes. As a kid, learning a song’s lyric was an easy job, so I started singing and dancing along. Just too bad I have no records from that time. Trust me on this: it’s not like you could buy a portable video camera at every corner back in the early 80’s in Brazil. If your parents had one, man, you were rich!

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It was only in my teenager years, when I was introduced to different artists, listening to more rock and pop tunes, and with a closer contact with the English language, it was only then that I really started singing. I would very often lock myself in my bedroom, memorizing lyrics and singing it out loud, but only after making sure I was the sole living soul at home as I was quite shy about it. Yes, teenagers and their strong self-esteem, walking harmonically side by side… not.

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Today, after one too many wrong diagnoses, I am feeling pretty fantastic, with almost no traces of the chronic anemia caused by the to-this-day unknown autoimmune disease, which seems to be in a latent state, in a long and profound sleep…

 

As a physiotherapist with 23 years of experience (in case you’re wondering what I’ve been up to all these years; it lacks the glamour of Madonna professional’s  life, but I love it!), I attribute my recovery to my knowledge in the health field and, more than anything, to functional medicine. Eating properly and being aware of the reasons behind the disease were critic to my improvement.

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It was precisely during my treatment that I have started writing. At one moment I sat down, took a deep breath, and the words started popping up in my mind, then later the notes. As an avid reader, cinema lover, passionate about arts and travelling, controversial personalities, I’ve composed lyrics and melodies that translate life’s transience, with more questions than answers, ethereal love, hope.

 

What about you? Have you been listening to your soul’s pleas?