Daughter of teenage parents.
Yes, and very humble. I was born with cerebral palsy and was given up for adoption to a family with more means, so I became the youngest of seven siblings.
What does your brain disability mean?
From “he will never be able to speak nor walk”, thanks to the efforts of my parents and my will, at the age of four I hummed my first song and took my first step with my orthopedic boot. Today I walk with a walker.
Did it cause any problems for you?
My childhood was hard, I suffered bullying for ten years because of my physical differences; Over time I understood that the only way to move forward was to accept myself, that reality cannot be changed but the way to face it can.
What was your dream as a child?
Be a singer and fill stadiums. Music was my passion. I would put my stuffed animals on the bed, sing to them and forget about the bad vibes.
What helped you trust yourself more?
At the age of 12 I was the national adaptive swimming champion and defended the title for several years. That first achievement helped me see that I had possibilities. But the bullying was cruel and I hit rock bottom, I was angry and sad all day and a lot of things were happening to me.
Bullying is a terrible epidemic.
Horrible, but today I wouldn't change anything, it opened my eyes: at 10 years old I understood that I was going to have the disability all my life and that the way my 30 classmates treated me wasn't going to change either if something didn't happen.
Something like that?
If you want your reality to change, accept yourself and smile, life will smile back at you. I realized that if I was so bad on an emotional level it was because I constantly asked myself why I couldn't walk like the others, why the boys didn't notice me, why it had happened to me.
How did you solve it?
I changed the why to the why: why am I like this... I accepted myself and made an effort: every time a child picked on me, I smiled.
Was it useful?
Most of them didn't change, but I made three friends, the first, who I still have. That change in mentality, believing more in myself and focusing on the capabilities that I did have, made me react: “Either you change or others are not going to change.” And I have discovered why my disability is very beautiful.
Tell me.
My father and my sister had a stroke on the same day, I was 14 years old. My father recovered but my sister was left with hemiparesis and I realized that he could help her, teach her how to accept the disability, and give her humor from an empathetic perspective.
Nice for what.
That's why I became a lecturer, because if you put what happens to you at the service of others, it takes on a greater meaning and you can change hearts, and that's wonderful.
Tell me about those hearts.
I remember a girl with a disability who, after a talk, hugged me and said: “I thought that people like you and me were of no use, but from now on I'm going to smile.” I started to cry.
You, with your disability, dared to appear at a talent show.
When I see an opportunity I jump at it, because, regardless of the outcome, you learn along the way. I signed up for “You are worth it” and I won.
What did you learn from that incident?
That life gives you gifts when you are consistent with what you like, you don't put more barriers on yourself than there are, and you use creativity. I never stopped singing even though my classmates threw things at me and laughed at me when I sang at recess. The greatest paralysis that exists is fear.
And he recorded his first album.
Yes, at 18 years old, Dancing in the Rain, which talks about one of my mottos: “Life is not waiting for the storm to pass but learning to dance in the rain.” Then I participated in La Voz in 2019, quite an experience.
You decided to expose yourself.
The stage is a very beautiful tool to change society, giving voice to situations that must improve. I have turned my disability into a new tool to be happy and I want to share it.
Show me the process.
Accepting disability helps you have more confidence, which leads you to dare challenges and, by pursuing those challenges, achieve your dreams. But first you have to allow yourself to suffer, not judge yourself and trust that everything always has a purpose, even if it does not come how or when we want. Let go, trust.
What do you repeat to yourself the most?
Let your smile change the world but never let the world change your smile. And value the things you have, don't focus on the things that aren't going well. Be assertive, say what you feel and what you need with love and respect; this is a fantastic tool.
