from the silence

I have known many stories of overcoming disability, but I did not know about hearing disability, perhaps the great unknown since it is not perceived with the naked eye.

Joaquín Marcelo presented his book “Growing from silence” yesterday in Madrid, in which he says that he has had to get by in life without the help of “listeners” and having to overcome obstacles of all kinds. Losing his hearing at the age of 8, due to a medical error, he had to learn to live without mental barriers. That is the common denominator of those of us who decide to live with a disability: eliminate brakes and ballasts.

Much progress has been made, but adaptation to academic material in the 1980s was its first challenge. Many more would come later. Judo lover, Joaquín puts into practice like nobody else the four fundamental pillars in martial arts and in life: Humility, Work, Efficiency and Respect. After hours and hours of solo practice kicking in front of the mirror, he was recovering that treasure that gives meaning and life to everything: self-esteem. Our greatest ally. Another big challenge was English. It is clear that when there is motivation there are no barriers that stand in the way. Overcoming the dreaded bullying, which today takes on new dimensions due to the so-called cyberbullying, added to not wanting to be seen differently. All this made him conquer seemingly impossible goals for someone who does not hear.