Susana Ruíz is diabetic and has managed to climb to Himalaya, her next challenge, a new adventure this year in Greenland.
In Spain 2.8 million citizens are diabetic.One of them is Susana Ruiz, from Navarra but resident in Vizcaya for several years, who suffers from diabetes from eleven, so she has been living with that permanent "companion".
This ailment, he tells Efe, "is a double -edged sword, does not produce pain like other diseases, but that makes many people not aware of the side effects that a bad control can produce in the body."
But - he adds - if he is "well controlled, he doesn't have to give problems."
To make it visible and in an "optimistic" way, in November last year, Susana decided to climb another step in the fight, a great step, demonstrating to everyone that "with good control and planning" can and does anything.
And what did he do?Well, fulfilling one of the dreams of his whole life: to see Everest closely and teach that with effort, work, will and determination it is possible to keep diabetes at bay, even 5,545 meters high and in unavailable conditions.
"When I arrived at Kala Pattar - a peak of Nepal - I was very excited, because for many years people had told us that we could not do certain things, and it is not true," Susana explains in a conversation to Efe.
This ascent career did not make her alone;During the eighteen days that his husband and his medication lasted, which allowed her to keep diabetes under control.
The Navarra saw in the sport and in the mountain the best way to demonstrate to society how all the goals that one can propose if they are pursued can be achieved.
"The limitations are set them," Susana clarifies, "you can make a totally normal life taking it seriously and with control", and what better example than herself to illustrate it.
"You don't have to put the excuse disease to treat you from equal to the same, you have to avoid superprotection," he argues.
Susana speaks of the need to help without overproteger, but to grant responsibilities and independence to do any activity or task and not see the disease as a handicap.
"Diabetes has to be a motivation and not a limitation," he says.
And in Susana there is an example of overcoming even if she has another objective: "I do not want to become an example; I want it not to limit the kids, if they have a dream to do it."
Therefore, Susana has undertaken a new trip in which, through talks throughout Spain, she tells her experience.On the 24th he will be in Santiago de Compostela with the aim of transmitting positive ideas about diabetes.
"You have to motivate otherwise: saying that we are able to do it," says Susana, who is already planning his next challenge.
He will make another adventure, this time in summer, a walk combined with kayak through Greenland.Another fifteen days with the same "companions" that will tell the detail in his blog.