“I FELT sorry for myself because I had no shoes, until I met a man who had no feet.” – Jewish Proverb
During these tough times, it is very easy to wallow in self-pity especially when we have lost so much because of the recession.
The “good life” we see our own friends experiencing and living through their status updates and pictures shared on Facebook can also trigger these thoughts.
Envy makes us overlook the things that we have and focus on what we don’t.
Many even see self-pity as an excuse or hurdle for not achieving whatever goals they have in life.
However, when we hear stories and examples of other people overcoming the odds of life (especially among our own kababayans), we are reminded of the value of looking at the glass as half-full.
Let me share with you the inspiring stories of two of them, as presented on “The Filipino Champion” segment on Balitang America.
Raymond Martin
Nineteen year-old Raymond Martin was born with a congenital deformity. His fingers are permanently bent. His feet are clubbed and his wrists are stiff.
Raymond’s mother, April, said her son has been through 17 surgeries since he was a baby. “It was upsetting at first. But then, you start thinking about the next step — how to make him functional, how to make him do things for himself,” she said.
But Raymond did not let his disability get in the way of achieving his dreams. He wanted to become an athlete. At age 7, he began competing at the National Junior Disability Championship.
“Whenever I’m on the track, just going so fast — I feel free. I don’t feel like I have disability,” Raymond said.
Now, he’s at the top of his game. Raymond was named the 2012 Paralympic Sportsman of the year by the US Olympic Committee (USOC) for winning four golds at the Paralympic Games in London last summer.
He was nominated for “Best Male Athlete with a Disability” in ESPN’S ESPYS Awards. He is also training for the 2016 Paralympic Games in Brazil.
His lola, Julita Abano, said: “I’m so proud of him. Even with his disability, he won gold medals.”
Today, Raymond is using his celebrity status to help and inspire other disabled athletes. He is set to record a public service announcement in order to help raise money to keep the Paralympic Sports Clubs in New York and New Jersey area running.
“They’ve given me so much. They gave me the guidance to reach the games. That’s why I’m just so excited to have the opportunity to help give back,” he said.
Raymond said that people, who face different obstacles in life, should never lose sight of their dreams.
“Anything is possible, if you put your mind to it. It just needs a little bit of determination, a little bit of hope,” he added.
Rico Marquez
Life has not been easy for 33-year-old Rico Marquez, who grew up in Leyte, Philippines. He was six years old when he was stricken with polio.
He intimated on Balitang America:, “I remember one time, I had to crawl all the way to school. When I had crutches, my classmates would laugh at me. They would take my crutches away. Some adults would taunt me, saying, ‘Why are you walking like that?’ I just kept silent. But it was very painful.”
He said that even his own family did not want anything to do with him. “My brothers would tell me, ‘You are good for nothing. You should just die.”
At 14, he thought he had no one else to hold on to, so he turned to God and became a Christian.
“Suddenly, I could walk without any support, without any crutches. This is the work of the Lord,” he narrated.
Rico shared that his father threw him out of the house because of his newfound religion. Rico had to live in a wooden shed behind a pastor’s house.
“He had a big family so that was the all he could provide for me. I lived there for three years while I attended high school. He taught me how to conduct Bible studies and training workshops in church,” Rico shared.
While earning his Bachelor’s Degree in Theology at the Baptist Theological College in Cebu, Rico would travel to three towns on foot every week — to preach the Gospel.
Rico was ordained in 2003 and became a pastor at the Metropolitan Heritage Baptist Church in Iligan City, Mindanao — an area surrounded by poverty and insurgent activities.
In 2008, he expanded his ministry and moved to California, through the sponsorship of the Trinity Baptist Church in the town of Rodeo.
A year after, he began taking classes at Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary in Mill Valley, where he also received financial aid.
To support his wife and two young children, Rico worked as a janitor in the seminary from midnight to nine in the morning.
Rico believes hard work and sheer determination allowed him to finish two master degrees, one in Divinity (which he finished last June) and another in Educational Leadership, which he completed last December.
During his graduation, he was awarded the William O. Crews Presidential Leadership Award — the highest recognition given to a student at the Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary. He became the first Filipino to receive such an honor.
Rico preaches at the East Bay Baptist Church in Alameda and teaches a Bible training course there for church leaders every Sunday. He also founded a church for Filipinos in Pinole.
He and his family now live inside the Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, where his wife, Marge, is taking up a Masters Degree in Educational Leadership.
Marge said she wants to help Rico in his plan to open a seminary in the Philippines. “It has been his passion to study more, so he could help other leaders and teach them.”
Rico’s success in the US did not stop him from reaching out to his family in the Philippines. He said that after years of estrangement, he and his family in the Philippines have rekindled their ties.
Rico hopes his story would serve as an inspiration to other Filipinos, who find themselves in desperate situations.
“Have faith that you have the potential, the capacity to succeed. God will give you strength to finish and accomplish your dreams,” he said.
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Gel Santos Relos is the anchor of TFC’s “Balitang America.” Views and opinions expressed by the author in this column are are solely those of the author and not of Asian Journal and ABS-CBN-TFC. For comments, go to www.TheFil-AmPerspective.com, https://www.facebook.com/Gel.Santos.Relos
