Life is unpredictable.
Although we love to organize, a false sense of mastery in our hands, many things are beyond our control.
We do not choose where we are born or who we grow up with.
We never know what tomorrow may bring, nor do we know when the body may play tricks on us.
We must try to savor the moments we enjoy, trying to be happy with what we have.
At any moment, life can change.
I am not saying this because of the disease that I was diagnosed with in 2020, which we have talked about and which many of you may know about, but about another story with a happy ending.
In the return of league soccer competitions in Europe, one of the protagonists is Christian Eriksen.
A little over a year ago our hearts sank.
On June 12, 2021, during the match between Denmark and Finland in the group stage of the European Championship, Eriksen collapsed on the pitch, victim of cardiac arrest.
One is never prepared to live a moment like that.
Fortunately, medical assistance can attend to him immediately, with cardiopulmonary resuscitation and defibrillation on the field.
Everyone will remember the image of their teammates, surrounding the player to avoid the images facing the outside, before Eriksen was taken away on a stretcher on the way to hospital.
Moments like this stop time and make us aware of how fleeting changes in life can be.
The game was stopped for a few minutes and resumed without knowing the state of health of the Danish player.
Moments later, word came from the hospital that Eriksen was awake and stabilized.
When he opened his eyes again, Christian's life had changed completely.
From being an outstanding player in his national team, undisputed starter in a continental championship, he became an athlete with an automatic defibrillator implanted in his body.
In many countries it is forbidden to compete with this device, so his sports career had been called into question.
The medical advice recommended prudence, parking the professional career and prioritizing health as much as possible.
However, passion makes us move mountains, move forward and even 'risk your life' for what you love.
His example has been to persevere and hurry through all the options that the path has allowed him.
Eriksen has never lowered his arms, trying to find a way to continue in competition.
His struggle has been to stay in shape for professional soccer and find a team in countries where it is allowed to compete with a defibrillator.
His tenacity, after playing at Brentford, has found the prize in one of his dream clubs: Manchester United has bet on him, opening the door to a precious moment.
The Premier League is already taking its first steps and the figure of Eriksen will be the protagonist in the return of
football
.
Life is a path of surprises, which fills us with joy and puts us to the test.
We must live day by day, enjoying the present and looking for what gives us happiness.
From here, we are happy to see him on the pitch again, with prudence as the flag and health above all else.
Eriksen's perseverance, that refusal to give up, are the greatest example in the face of adversity.
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