Hernán Cortés Soria publishes the second part of "Don't Get Guillain-Barré": "Recovery requires a huge effort."

In January 2023, as he explained in this interview , Hernán Cortés Soria suffered from a very severe case of Guillain-Barré syndrome from which he is still recovering. The experience had such a profound impact on him that, since regaining his strength, he has dedicated himself to raising awareness about a disease that, until that fateful January 15, was completely unknown to him.

And he does this, on the one hand, by contacting patients and, on the other, through his books. The first, which he published last year, was done completely by chance, as he didn't write it for publication, but rather as therapy for himself and as a gift to the people who were helping him during his rehabilitation. But they encouraged him, and he published it, with the sole objective of ensuring that all the proceeds would go toward a research project on the disease carried out at the Toledo Paraplegic Hospital , where he himself was hospitalized for several months.

Due to the success of the first one, he immediately began to write, with the same objective, the second part: Don't Get Guillain-Barré, Part II , the book that tells the story of his return home after hospitalization.

When we called him to tell us the details of this book, the first thing that surprised us was his voice, much stronger than the one we heard a few months ago. "I've always had a 'big voice,'" he replied, "but with Guillain-Barré I lost it. I've finally gotten it back completely," he enthused.

We also caught him on vacation at the beach in Huelva, where he hadn't returned for three years because he was still recovering. "Although I still have a year or more to go before I'm completely back to where I was, I'm completely independent now. Except for my hands and the paresthesia in my feet, which are still a little numb... but nothing like that. I can now drive, cook, button my shirt... There's no other way than to have faith and work hard."

That's precisely what he wants to convey in his books, both the first and the second: that you recover from Guillain-Barré—although there may be some after-effects—but it doesn't come without a price. He's been recovering for almost three years.

You spend a year in a hospital, longing to return and when you do, your house is the same, but you are no longer, your home has become a hostile terrain

The long-awaited and 'terrible' return home

If in the first part of the book Hernán Cortés described what the disease consisted of and his experience in the first few months, in Que no te pille un Guillain-Barré, Part II he narrates what happened when he arrived home, something that he himself describes as 'terrible', “you are away from home for a year, locked up in a hospital, wanting to return and when you return, your house is the same, but you are not anymore, and your home has become a hostile terrain that you cannot enter, that is not adapted... it is a huge blow”, he recalls.

He also talks about the rehabilitation process that follows discharge from the hospital, a process that is very important for patients, but to which not everyone has access. He also includes testimonials from patients who have contacted him after reading the book: "I wrote this second one because they asked me to. As a reflection of it, I've contacted people with Guillain-Barré, and they were the ones who asked me to write it, because they told me they were lost, that they didn't know what to do. When this happens to you, doctors can't give you much information because they don't know either; they only give you the name and little else. In the book, I tell what I did, which is why it's a more technical book; I tell you about going home, about rehabilitation ..."

And he does it all, as he insists, with the sole goal of helping others who are in the situation he was in two years ago. So, in all this time, he's contacted 72 people, people he calls and has even visited in person. "I'm traveling around Spain to meet with people who have or have had Guillain-Barré; we have WhatsApp groups... I meet people who are very lost, which is why I'm so committed to raising awareness about this disease, so that it's diagnosed earlier and doesn't worsen, as it is now. For me, having an early diagnosis, since it hit me so violently, saved my life. If I hadn't been diagnosed that same night, I would have died ."

In addition to advising and counseling these people, Hernán, above all, listens to them and encourages them to keep going. "Recovery isn't free; it requires a huge effort. Almost everyone I talk to is recovering, and I tell them that because I'm the best example."

Even so, there can always be after-effects, but we have to work to minimize them as much as possible. “ I estimate that I still have a year left , which I consider a transition to normality. In addition, at this point, I already do some of the rehabilitation work on my own. I do water exercises alone in the pool at home, and I also do three hours a week in a gym with an instructor who supervises me in the work I need to do, because what I need most is strengthening, muscle building, joint recovery… for that I no longer need a rehabilitation coach. What I do need is for my hands, because I continue going four hours a week to rehabilitate them, which is what I have left to work on. Even so, I can now say that I am independent , something that not only benefits me, but also those around me, those who have been dedicated for two and a half years to help me, take care of me… they too can finally get their lives back, and that is also very important on a family, social, psychological level… because you recover your self-esteem, which we have had very… “short”.

Recovery is not free, it requires a huge effort

Three years to forget... and to remember, which have transformed his life

Hernán Cortes always emphasizes how difficult these years have been, but he can't help but be moved by all the positive things this terrible illness has brought him. "The most beautiful part is the solidarity. When I tell people that their book has a charitable purpose, they buy it or even give me money. I'm overwhelmed and amazed."

That's why he always says that, despite the misfortune of having such a tough illness, he considers himself very lucky. "It's still an illness that, even in my case, which was very serious, with work that you can recover from, you go from 100 to zero, but if you survive and work, it's all up, and I'm nothing like Hernán was two years ago. I also have to be thankful because I'm surrounded by the best people I could have had, those who were already in my life, and all the people I've met thanks to this illness , like all the healthcare workers, the therapists... even the journalists who help me bring visibility to this disease."

He also takes away the life lessons of experiencing disability firsthand: "I see people with disabilities very differently now than I did before. I've learned to look at them without seeing a wheelchair , or to look at them without pity. Now I see people who have to make a huge effort, themselves and their families, to do everyday things like going to the beach."

I've learned to look without seeing a wheelchair, to look without pity. Now I see people who have to make an enormous effort.

Hernán Cortés Soria doesn't know if he'll continue writing, but what he does know is that, in addition to finishing his recovery, he's going to dedicate his time to helping others. "I'm excited about the research project , and I want to continue with the meetings and raising awareness, because people need comfort, which is what my wife and I didn't have; we felt helpless when it happened to us."

Both books are available on Amazon, and the money raised from the sale of the books will go to a research project at the National Paraplegic Hospital in Toledo, led by Dr. Ernesto Doncel-Pérez. This research seeks to obtain biomarkers that allow for the diagnosis of Guillain-Barré syndrome in its early stages of development and initiate treatment as early as possible to reduce its consequences .

In addition to purchasing these books, anyone can collaborate and make a donation by contacting this email: [email protected]