Stricken cyclist on road to recovery
In Belize we are all too familiar with illness, and the ability or inability our medical system to restore and maintain our health. But as anyone who has ever endured a lengthy illness can attest, the process of recovery is an intensely personal experience. So it has been with Orlando Chavarria. His name was once synonymous with cycling… and has now become associated with a battle against an elusive enemy. News Five’s Arreini Palacio has a report from the front.
It has been one of the longest and most difficult rides this former Cross Country Champ has ever taken. Late last year Orlando Chavarria was sidelined with a mysterious illness that left him barely able to help himself. But now, doctors who were once at a loss, are more than optimistic about his recuperation.
Dr. Claudina Cayetano, Psychiatrist
“It is a great pleasure to see Orlando. When I think of the first day he came to the clinic riding his bicycle, I felt I was going to cry, and to see him getting better and feeling good and talking to you like a normal human being after being in that stage of psychosis, it is a great pleasure.”
But for Chavarria the journey involved more pain than pleasure. It was just over nine months ago that the first symptoms started to plague him. According to his sister Therese, Orlando had turned into a totally different person.
Therese Chavarria, Sister
“He had a problem sleeping at nights and he refused to talk about it to the family members. He went out and rode a race and won and the following day he started behaving differently. He was a different person; he was a quiet person and he started shouting and he felt that somebody wanted to harm him.”
Mystified by the sudden switch in behavior, Chavarria’s family sought the help of Dr. Claudina Cayetano, who diagnosed him as a schizophrenic.
Dr. Claudina Cayetano
“We had him on anti-psychotic medication. We had him on tablets and pills that he had to be taking. We sent him for all the tests available in Belize and he did one in Chetumal and another one in the States. When we started him on the treatment, the family was very supportive and they helped to clear the psychosis; psychosis meaning he was not in touch with reality. He is on medication so that he can become the person he used to be.”
Now it seems the much improved Chavarria, who has returned to his former job as a mechanic on a part time basis, is making his way to recovery. His speech has become clearer.
Orlando Chavarria
(before: garbled) “I was riding my bike once in the yard, the backyard and I ride out in the street. I feel more stronger and more stronger.”
Orlando Chavarria
(now: normal) “I feel very strong and very happy.”
Q: “Do you expect to go back into Belizean cycling world?”
Orlando Chavarria
“Yes.”
Q: “At some point?”
Orlando Chavarria
“Yes.”
Q: “What kind of training are you going to start off with?”
Orlando Chavarria
“Three times a week.”
And even his riding has improved. Although his recovery is slow and may take at least another year, Chavarria longs to be in the pack when the starting gun goes off next Easter.
Therese Chavarria
“I am very, very happy dealing with him. For the time he was not well it was very hard on me, very stressful. So I feel better now.”
Arreini Palacio for News Five.
Chavarria is expected to continue with his treatment for the next two years. He hopes to start working full time in a month or so.
