By MICHAEL RODRIGUEZ
Managing Editor
editor@sbnewspaper.com
Michael Rodriguez
Twenty-one years is a long time to be in pain, and yet Janet Mata has lived it as a badge of honor.
Afflicted with a muscular dystrophy disease called dermatomyositis (DM), the 21-year-old San Benito resident is no stranger to pain and discomfort. Consider that her muscles have deteriorated throughout the years, leaving her not just in a constant state of weakness but also prone to lung and kidney problems. Still, despite receiving grim prognosis after grim prognosis for literally her entire life, Janet has proven a resilient combatant in her battle with DM.
When told she wouldn’t live to graduate, Janet responded by walking on stage before her family and hundreds of people at Bobby Morrow Stadium to accept her diploma as a graduate of the San Benito High School Class of 2010. Though physically burdened by chemotherapy treatment, which is necessary to help fight her condition and whatever damage it may further cause to her already-frail body, Janet routinely stops to appreciate the little things in life – enjoying a milkshake, listening to music, attending dances, hitting local pizzerias and drinking her first alcoholic beverage: a piña colada.
For a girl who has long stared death in the face, life must taste far sweeter than what I have long taken for granted.
Ever the consummate optimist, Janet again dares to live, but this time she’s setting her sights on helping others who may also be suffering from similar struggles. As you may already know, one of the many acts of generosity that members of the local community have shown Janet since learning of her illness was an extraordinary opportunity that Sarah Book Publishing offered: the chance to achieve her dream of becoming a published author.
As a self-help author, specifically, Janet plans to offer advice to ailing individuals rendered hopeless due to the struggles of living with sickness and disease. It’s a subject the young lady knows plenty about, and one that she’s even expressed interest in exploring as an advice columnist for the San Benito News.
In the meantime, Janet has been documenting information on her trusty laptop, knowing it’ll soon be compiled into her first literary effort. The only problem is that her laptop recently crashed, thus halting Janet’s writing and leaving a family that’s just getting by on a fixed income with little means of helping to rectify the situation. For the Matas, you see, going out and buying a new laptop is not an option they can afford.
Enter the San Benito Elks Lodge.
After taking the advice of some notable individuals in town, I contacted Elks President Efrain Guerrero and humbly asked for assistance with Janet’s dilemma. As it turns out, a member of the Lodge came to her aid by gifting his personal laptop to Janet. The result was a donation from the bottom of the Elks’ heart to a grateful girl, who reacted with glee when learning of the generosity of a complete stranger.
Then there’s Broadsword IT, a Harlingen-based computer services company whose owner, Guillermo Ledesma III, agreed to contribute a desktop computer to Janet once he heard about her predicament.
Now Janet will have two functioning computers at her disposal – this courtesy of her local community that’s always willing to lend a helping hand to someone in need.
Inspired by such events, I made a decision on Thursday evening to part with my original plan of writing a column about an individual whose criticism of this publication has long irked me, especially when considering his prior history. The working title was, “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly,” to represent the three quirks that accompany this particular person’s plight and how they have long served to discredit him. Instead, I opted to tell the story of three people – Janet, Efrain (representing the donating Elk) and Guillermo. After all, they are a far better representation of what may be the Valley’s last remaining example of decency.
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