{"id":252,"date":"2022-05-21T23:08:01","date_gmt":"2022-05-21T23:08:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quirkycharacters.com.au\/stories\/?p=252"},"modified":"2022-05-21T23:08:01","modified_gmt":"2022-05-21T23:08:01","slug":"a-born-entertainer-miguels-story-un-artista-nacido-la-historia-de-miguel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quirkycharacters.com.au\/stories\/a-born-entertainer-miguels-story-un-artista-nacido-la-historia-de-miguel\/","title":{"rendered":"A born entertainer; Miguel’s story. Un artista nacido; la historia de Miguel"},"content":{"rendered":"

A year ago, I lost my brother-in-law to COVID-19. He was one of millions now taken because of this insidious disease. But he is more than just a statistic. Like the millions of others who have suffered the same fate, he was somebody to so many. Miguel was a son, a brother, a husband, a father, a grandfather, an uncle, a cousin and a friend. Whilst so many have now turned their heads to the future, in a desperate attempt to put the past two years of the pandemic behind them, for others like my family, it is not so easy. We live with the images of his last days, in incredible pain and struggling for every breath. We live with the images of his funeral, where men in hazmat suits carried his plastic wrapped coffin and lowered it into the ground with his son his only mourner. This was not the end Miguel deserved, nor was it the end the millions of others deserved. There was no dignity in his death and we were powerless to change it. But we can remember him joyfully and ensure his life is remembered by future generations. This is Miguel\u2019s story as remembered by his loving brother Marco.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Miguel in Lima, Peru 2003<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Miguel\u2019s birth on the 13th<\/sup> March 1949 was a cause for celebration in the our household. Ten months previously, our two-month-old brother Luis had died after being born with a throat abnormality. My grieving parents Urbano and Elmina prayed for the new baby\u2019s safe arrival and with their prayers answered, they named their second son Miguel Angel (pronounced Aun-hill in Spanish).<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"
Miguel as a young boy, at his first communion, aged about 7<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

My two-and-a-half-year-old sister Ana Isabel (Anita) was enamoured by her new brother and doted over him. Our family lived in an old house we called Berlin, after the name of street. The house had four bedrooms; Anita was in the front bedroom, me in the second bedroom with my mother and father, the third bedroom was occupied by Miguel and my other brother Ruben and the fourth bedroom for guests like our Neyra cousins who came to stay. The house was one of a set of five adjoining properties that each had a small front garden; we lived in number 4. A laneway connected each house along the front gardens. Miguel and Ruben played soccer in the dirt paddock opposite our house, long before I was able to join them. As he grew older, Miguel taught me to play soccer, basketball and paletas. Paletas was played with a bat and tennis ball, wherever and whenever we got the chance. The beach was a favourite spot or if we couldn\u2019t be bothered going down the hill and back up again, the street would do. Berlin and later Juan Fanning where we moved to were busy streets so running up and down and dodging cars became part of our game. Summers were long and humid in Lima and I would often protest saying \u2018I\u2019m tired\u2019 but Miguel would plead with me, \u2018Come on! Get out of bed or you\u2019re going to get fat!\u2019 The suggestions didn\u2019t end there. \u2018Walk straight!\u2019 \u2018Put your tummy in!\u2019 Miguel played the big brother role to its full entitlement. I was a more relaxed character so I would often just reply back, \u2018So what!\u2019\u00a0 Miguel was no diplomat and would tell it straight, whether you liked it or not. But he also had a very cheeky personality and loved a good practical joke. When I was little Miguel would invite me to play hide and seek with him, but once hidden, he would sneak up behind to scare me, causing me to fall over and hurt myself. Like many older brothers, Miguel forgot his strength and the vulnerability of his younger siblings. But as I grew older, Miguel always kept an eye out for me. When Miguel became a store manager at Scala, he got me a job as a checkout supervisor. Years later, when I was at a loose end with work again, Miguel used his basketball friends who had connections with the Merchant Navy officials to land me an interview. Months later I would sail away on an adventure that would see me migrate to Australia, an adventure orchestrated by a big brother who desperately wanted me to succeed in life. \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Miguel was a party goer who had lots of friends. A bit of a wild child, he would gather with his 15-16 year old friends at the corner shop and drink. He would stay out with friends until late at night, coming home by taxi and upsetting my parents. Once as a teenager he decided that the taxi he had access to at home was a better proposition than paying for one, so he \u2018borrowed\u2019 our father\u2019s light green Packard that he used as a taxi to support our family. Miguel showed up about 5pm after many hours out and about in it, meaning our father missed a day\u2019s work. And whilst our father didn\u2019t flog him for his stupidity, Papito did lose his temper and break a few things and Miguel never took the car again. In later years Miguel would own an avocado-green Austin Mini Minor that he took us siblings out in. One time the car broke down on the mountainside on a bend with me, Anita and Fabiola, Miguel\u2019s wife in it. Anita freaked out that we were going to get hit by another car, but cool as a cucumber, Miguel just laughed it off. <\/em><\/p>\n

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Miguel tends to his Volkswagen, preparing it for a trip with his brother Marco, who is visiting from Australia, 2003<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In between partying, Miguel spent his high school years immersed in the world of competitive basketball. In about 1965, he travelled to Mexico City, Miami and Santiago with his high school team. At 6ft tall, Miguel was a natural player and the team was quite successful. After leaving school, Miguel completed a business studies course at university and landed a job as a bank teller. Then Miguel met Fabiola, the woman he would spend the rest of his life with. In fact, over 50 years. They married in 1969 and a year later their first son Miguelito was born. A handsome little boy, he brought joy to the whole Neyra household and everyone dotted on him. Miguel and Fabiola were young parents, just 21 years old. Five years later their second son Julio Cesar (Julito) came along. Julito was a healthy thriving little toddler until he contracted meningitis which severely affected his brain. He spent the rest of his life in the care of his devoted parents. Miguel and Fabiola never left his side, until Julito left earthside for heaven in 2016, aged 41. \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

After his stints as a store manager, bank teller and a medical sales representative, Miguel completed a short course in real estate and began selling houses with his friend Luis Alvarez. A partnership that was to last 30 years, Luis and Miguel sold properties from Chorrillos to San Isidro, to Miraflores and La Molina in Lima. With his real estate contacts, Miguel was able to purchase a block of land near the beach at Chorrillos in the late 1980s. From here his friends and family helped build a house for Miguel, Fabiola, Miguelito and Julito. As the house grew so did the parties, with Miguel and Fabiola superb hosts. Miguel was now able to work his own hours and enjoy some freedom to pursue his interests. Miguel\u2019s passion was for music. He spent many nights at his favourite pe\u00f1a criollas, or folk music venues. He also loved to dance salsa and sing along to his favourite songs. Miguel was a born entertainer who could captivate his audience with his songs and his storytelling. I would often go along with him to these pe\u00f1as when I returned home to Lima from Australia, reliving my youth and enjoying a shared love of music with my brother. <\/em><\/p>\n

I saw my brother only a few times between 1984 when I left Peru on that merchant ship and 2016, my last visit home. But we talked endlessly on the phone and when technology advanced with the invention of \u2018Facetime\u2019 we were able to have virtual face to face chats. We could talk for hours, reminiscing about our youth, friends we knew and about current affairs. This became especially important when in 2012, Miguel was diagnosed with throat cancer. He was by then 63 years old and 50 years of the good life had finally caught up with him. The cancer in his oesophagus was aggressive and he endured many rounds of chemotherapy and radiotherapy which weakened him to the point where we all feared he wouldn\u2019t make it. The odds were stacked against him with a low survival rate for those with this type of cancer. But survive he did and he bounced back with gusto to resume his party lifestyle. <\/em><\/p>\n

Then in early 2021, some nine years after the first diagnosis, came the news that the cancer had returned. Appointments were made and a treatment plan arranged and in the meantime, with the COVID vaccines just being released, Miguel and Fabiola both took their first shot. But it was too late, for they had already been exposed to the virus. With an already compromised airway from the prior radiation treatment, Miguel was at high risk of complications. As the days wore on, both Miguel and Fabiola\u2019s condition\u2019s deteriorated and they required oxygen and 24 hour nursing care at home. Then it got so bad that they were admitted to hospital, into beds that had been desperately sought by their son all the way from his home in Los Angeles. Miguelito flew to Lima and was able to spend a few precious hours at the hospital with his parents. Then Miguel\u2019s oxygen levels dropped dangerously low. All the while we were receiving updates and each time the news was worse. I prayed I would not lose another brother but lose him I did. Miguel died on the 23rd<\/sup> May 2021 from COVID-19. He was 72 years old. Today, and every day, I remember him for the amazing brother he was. God bless him.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"
Miguel and Marco, 2005. Always a fit and healthy man, Miguel is 56 years old in this photo, Marco 48.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hace un a\u00f1o, perd\u00ed a mi cu\u00f1ado por el COVID-19. \u00c9l era uno de los millones ahora afectados a causa de esta insidiosa enfermedad. Pero \u00e9l es m\u00e1s que una simple estad\u00edstica. Como los millones de otros que han sufrido el mismo destino, \u00e9l era alguien para muchos. Miguel fue hijo, hermano, esposo, padre, abuelo, t\u00edo, primo y amigo. Si bien muchos ahora han vuelto la cabeza hacia el futuro, en un intento desesperado por dejar atr\u00e1s los \u00faltimos dos a\u00f1os de la pandemia, para otros como mi familia, no es tan f\u00e1cil. Vivimos con las im\u00e1genes de sus \u00faltimos d\u00edas, con un dolor incre\u00edble y luchando por cada respiraci\u00f3n. Vivimos con la imagen de su funeral, donde hombres vestidos con trajes protectores cargaron su ata\u00fad envuelto en pl\u00e1stico y lo bajaron al suelo con su hijo, su \u00fanico doliente. Este no era el final que Miguel merec\u00eda, ni era el final que merec\u00edan millones de personas. No hubo dignidad en su muerte y \u00e9ramos impotentes para cambiarlo. Pero podemos recordarlo con alegr\u00eda y asegurarnos de que su vida sea recordada por las generaciones futuras. Esta es la historia de Miguel tal como la recuerda su amado hermano Marco.<\/p>\n

El nacimiento de Miguel el 13 de marzo de 1949 fue motivo de celebraci\u00f3n en nuestra casa. Diez meses antes, nuestro hermano Luis, de dos meses, hab\u00eda muerto despu\u00e9s de nacer con una anomal\u00eda en la garganta. Mis afligidos padres Urbano y Elmina oraron por la llegada segura del nuevo beb\u00e9 y con sus oraciones respondidas, llamaron a su segundo hijo Miguel Angel (pronunciado Aun-hill en espa\u00f1ol).<\/em><\/p>\n

Mi hermana Ana Isabel (Anita), de dos a\u00f1os y medio, estaba muy feliz de su nuevo hermano y lo adoraba. Nuestra familia viv\u00eda en una casa antigua a la que llamamos Berl\u00edn, por el nombre de la calle. La casa ten\u00eda cuatro dormitorios; Anita estaba en la rec\u00e1mara del frente, yo en la segunda rec\u00e1mara con mi mam\u00e1 y mi pap\u00e1, la tercera rec\u00e1mara la ocupaban Miguel y mi otro hermano Rub\u00e9n y la cuarta rec\u00e1mara para invitados como nuestras primas Neyra que vinieron para quedarse. La casa formaba parte de un conjunto de cinco propiedades contiguas que ten\u00edan cada una un peque\u00f1o jard\u00edn delantero; viv\u00edamos en el n\u00famero 4. Un callej\u00f3n conectaba cada casa a lo largo de los jardines delanteros. Miguel y Rub\u00e9n jugaban f\u00fatbol en el potrero de tierra frente a nuestra casa, mucho antes de que pudiera unirme a ellos. A medida que crec\u00eda, Miguel me ense\u00f1\u00f3 a jugar f\u00fatbol, \u200b\u200bbaloncesto y paletas. Paletas se jugaba con bate y pelota de tenis, donde y cuando ten\u00edamos la oportunidad. La playa era un lugar favorito o, si no pod\u00edamos molestarnos en bajar la colina y volver a subir, la calle funcionar\u00eda. Berl\u00edn y m\u00e1s tarde Juan Fanning, a donde nos mudamos, eran calles concurridas, por lo que correr de un lado a otro y esquivar autos se convirti\u00f3 en parte de nuestro juego. Los veranos eran largos y h\u00famedos en Lima y yo sol\u00eda protestar diciendo ‘estoy cansada’, pero Miguel me suplicaba: ‘\u00a1Vamos! \u00a1Sal de la cama o vas a engordar! Las sugerencias no terminaron ah\u00ed. ‘\u00a1Camina derecho!’ ‘\u00a1Mete la barriga!’ Miguel interpret\u00f3 el papel de hermano mayor en todo su derecho. Yo era un personaje m\u00e1s relajado, por lo que a menudo simplemente respond\u00eda: ‘\u00a1Y qu\u00e9!’. Miguel no era un diplom\u00e1tico y lo dec\u00eda sin rodeos, te gustara o no. Pero tambi\u00e9n ten\u00eda una personalidad muy descarada y amaba las buenas bromas pesadas. Cuando era peque\u00f1o Miguel me invitaba a jugar a las escondidas con \u00e9l, pero una vez escondido, se acercaba sigilosamente por detr\u00e1s para asustarme, haciendo que me cayera y me lastimara. Como muchos hermanos mayores, Miguel olvid\u00f3 su fuerza y \u200b\u200bla vulnerabilidad de sus hermanos menores. Pero a medida que fui creciendo, Miguel siempre estuvo pendiente de m\u00ed. Cuando Miguel se convirti\u00f3 en gerente de tienda en Scala, me consigui\u00f3 un trabajo como supervisor de caja. A\u00f1os m\u00e1s tarde, cuando estaba otra vez sin trabajo, Miguel us\u00f3 a sus amigos del baloncesto que ten\u00edan conexiones con los oficiales de la Marina Mercante para conseguirme una entrevista. Meses despu\u00e9s me embarcar\u00eda en una aventura que me llevar\u00eda a migrar a Australia, una aventura orquestada por un hermano mayor que deseaba desesperadamente que tuviera \u00e9xito en la vida.<\/em><\/p>\n

Miguel era un fiestero que ten\u00eda muchos amigos. Un ni\u00f1o un poco salvaje, se reun\u00eda con sus amigos de 15-16 a\u00f1os en la tienda de la esquina y beb\u00eda. Se quedaba con amigos hasta altas horas de la noche, volv\u00eda a casa en taxi y molestaba a mis padres. Una vez, cuando era adolescente, decidi\u00f3 que el taxi al que ten\u00eda acceso en casa era una mejor propuesta que pagar por uno, por lo que “tom\u00f3 prestado” el Packard verde claro de nuestro padre que us\u00f3 como taxi para mantener a nuestra familia. Miguel apareci\u00f3 alrededor de las 5 p. m. despu\u00e9s de muchas horas fuera de casa, lo que significa que nuestro padre perdi\u00f3 un d\u00eda de trabajo. Y si bien nuestro padre no lo azot\u00f3 por su estupidez, Papito s\u00ed perdi\u00f3 los estribos y rompi\u00f3 algunas cosas y Miguel nunca volvi\u00f3 a tomar el auto. En a\u00f1os posteriores, Miguel ser\u00eda due\u00f1o de un Austin Mini Minor verde palta en el que nos llevaba a los hermanos. Una vez el auto se descompuso en la ladera de la monta\u00f1a en una curva conmigo, Anita y Fabiola, la esposa de Miguel, adentro del carro. Anita se asust\u00f3 que nos ibamos a estrellar con otro auto, pero Miguel se mataba de la risa!<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0Entre fiestas, Miguel pas\u00f3 sus a\u00f1os de escuela secundaria inmerso en el mundo del baloncesto competitivo. Aproximadamente en 1965, viaj\u00f3 a la Ciudad de M\u00e9xico, Miami y Santiago con su equipo de secundaria. Con 6 pies de altura, Miguel era un jugador natural y el equipo tuvo bastante \u00e9xito. Despu\u00e9s de dejar la escuela, Miguel complet\u00f3 un curso de estudios comerciales en la universidad y consigui\u00f3 un trabajo como cajero de banco. Entonces Miguel conoci\u00f3 a Fabiola, la mujer con la que pasar\u00eda el resto de su vida. De hecho, m\u00e1s de 50 a\u00f1os. Se casaron en 1969 y un a\u00f1o despu\u00e9s naci\u00f3 su primer hijo Miguelito. Un ni\u00f1o hermoso, trajo alegr\u00eda a toda la casa de Neyra y todos se volcaron con \u00e9l. Miguel y Fabiola eran padres j\u00f3venes, de tan solo 21 a\u00f1os. Cinco a\u00f1os despu\u00e9s naci\u00f3 su segundo hijo, Julio C\u00e9sar (Julito). Julito era un ni\u00f1o peque\u00f1o sano y pr\u00f3spero hasta que contrajo meningitis que afect\u00f3 severamente su cerebro. Pas\u00f3 el resto de su vida al cuidado de sus devotos padres. Miguel y Fabiola nunca se apartaron de su lado, hasta que Julito se fue de la tierra al cielo en 2016, a los 41 a\u00f1os.<\/em><\/p>\n

Despu\u00e9s de sus per\u00edodos como gerente de tienda, cajero de banco y representante de ventas m\u00e9dicas, Miguel complet\u00f3 un curso corto en bienes ra\u00edces y comenz\u00f3 a vender casas con su amigo Luis Alvarez. Una sociedad que iba a durar 30 a\u00f1os, Luis y Miguel vendieron propiedades desde Chorrillos hasta San Isidro, hasta Miraflores y La Molina en Lima. Con sus contactos inmobiliarios, Miguel pudo comprar un terreno cerca de la playa de Chorrillos a fines de la d\u00e9cada de 1980. Desde aqu\u00ed sus amigos y familiares ayudaron a construir una casa para Miguel, Fabiola, Miguelito y Julito. A medida que la casa crec\u00eda, tambi\u00e9n lo hac\u00edan las fiestas, con Miguel y Fabiola como magn\u00edficos anfitriones. Miguel ahora pod\u00eda trabajar su propio horario y disfrutar de cierta libertad para perseguir sus intereses. La pasi\u00f3n de Miguel era la m\u00fasica. Pas\u00f3 muchas noches en sus pe\u00f1as criollas favoritas o lugares de m\u00fasica folcl\u00f3rica. Tambi\u00e9n le encantaba bailar salsa y cantar sus canciones favoritas. Miguel era un animador nato que pod\u00eda cautivar a su audiencia con sus canciones y su narraci\u00f3n. Muchas veces lo acompa\u00f1aba a estas pe\u00f1as cuando regresaba a Lima desde Australia, reviviendo mi juventud y disfrutando de un amor por la m\u00fasica compartido con mi hermano. <\/em><\/p>\n

Vi a mi hermano solo unas pocas veces entre 1984 cuando sal\u00ed de Per\u00fa en ese barco mercante y 2016, mi \u00faltima visita a casa. Pero habl\u00e1bamos sin parar por tel\u00e9fono y cuando la tecnolog\u00eda avanz\u00f3 con la invenci\u00f3n de ‘Facetime’ pudimos tener chats virtuales cara a cara. Podr\u00edamos hablar durante horas, recordando nuestra juventud, amigos que conocimos y sobre temas de actualidad. Esto se volvi\u00f3 especialmente importante cuando en 2012, a Miguel le diagnosticaron c\u00e1ncer de garganta. Ten\u00eda entonces 63 a\u00f1os y 50 a\u00f1os de buena vida finalmente lo hab\u00edan alcanzado. El c\u00e1ncer en su es\u00f3fago era agresivo y soport\u00f3 muchas rondas de quimioterapia y radioterapia que lo debilitaron hasta el punto en que todos tem\u00edamos que no lo lograr\u00eda. Las probabilidades estaban en su contra con una baja tasa de supervivencia para las personas con este tipo de c\u00e1ncer. Pero sobrevivi\u00f3 y se recuper\u00f3 con entusiasmo para reanudar su estilo de vida fiestero.<\/em><\/p>\n

Luego, a principios de 2021, unos nueve a\u00f1os despu\u00e9s del primer diagn\u00f3stico, lleg\u00f3 la noticia de que el c\u00e1ncer hab\u00eda regresado. Se concertaron citas y se organiz\u00f3 un plan de tratamiento y, mientras tanto, con las vacunas COVID reci\u00e9n lanzadas, Miguel y Fabiola recibieron su primera inyecci\u00f3n. Pero ya era demasiado tarde, porque ya hab\u00edan estado expuestos al virus. Con una v\u00eda a\u00e9rea ya comprometida por el tratamiento de radiaci\u00f3n anterior, Miguel ten\u00eda un alto riesgo de complicaciones. Con el paso de los d\u00edas, el estado de Miguel y Fabiola empeor\u00f3 y requirieron ox\u00edgeno y cuidados de enfermer\u00eda las 24 horas en el hogar. Luego se puso tan mal que fueron admitidos en el hospital, en camas que su hijo hab\u00eda buscado desesperadamente desde su casa en Los \u00c1ngeles. Miguelito vol\u00f3 a Lima y pudo pasar unas horas preciosas en el hospital con sus padres. Luego, los niveles de ox\u00edgeno de Miguel cayeron peligrosamente bajos. Todo el tiempo est\u00e1bamos recibiendo actualizaciones y cada vez las noticias eran peores. Rec\u00e9 para no perder a otro hermano, pero lo perd\u00ed. Miguel falleci\u00f3 el 23 de mayo de 2021 de COVID-19. Ten\u00eda 72 a\u00f1os. Hoy, y todos los d\u00edas, lo recuerdo por el incre\u00edble hermano que fue. Dios lo bendiga.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A year ago, I lost my brother-in-law to COVID-19. He was one of millions now taken because of this insidious disease. But he is more than just a statistic. Like the millions of others who have suffered the same fate, he was somebody to so many. Miguel was a son, a brother, a husband, a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-252","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/quirkycharacters.com.au\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/252","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/quirkycharacters.com.au\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/quirkycharacters.com.au\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quirkycharacters.com.au\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quirkycharacters.com.au\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=252"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/quirkycharacters.com.au\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/252\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":253,"href":"https:\/\/quirkycharacters.com.au\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/252\/revisions\/253"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/quirkycharacters.com.au\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=252"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quirkycharacters.com.au\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=252"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quirkycharacters.com.au\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=252"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}