Two days before Thanksgiving last year, I was in the office of an eye specialist, my left eye was closing itself and if I opened it I saw everything in duplicate. For weeks my headaches were going from bad to worse and every day I had more disturbing symptoms. She examined me and said that my vision was perfect, and that was bad news. She paused for a moment, and got up to close the door. I think she used those seconds to figure out what to say, because when she turned back towards me, her face had undergone a transformation. Her friendly smile was gone, and her voice had a serious tone when she said, Mr. Polo, what you have is quite serious, I’ll call the ER to make an emergency CT scan. A couple of hours later, I entered the scary tunnel with the warning that the doctor had ordered three different tests, so it would take longer than usual. Not knowing how much was normal, I was not prepared to spend more than an hour unable to move, or scratch, and all I could do was think and pray. The doctor had said that the three possibilities were, I was having a stroke, an aneurysm or aortic dissection. Jenny was outside, praying too.After what seemed like hours of immobility, I went numb. They took me in a wheelchair, I was getting weaker. We went home and decided to cancel travel plans and wait for the news. At six in the morning the phone rang and it was the doctor, I have good news and bad news, she said, the good news is that the scan came out completely negative, the trouble is that we have no explanation for what is happening to you.I was confused, without an answer, the only thing that was certain was that I was in the Lord’s hands. I called a doctor friend and told him my dilemma, asking whether it was wise to make the trip in such conditions. He said if the scan was negative, there was no imminent danger to my life, and in defense of medicine he said there were dozens of things that could cause my condition and it was difficult for doctors to find the exact reason, and he sent me the long list of those possibilities.We decided to make the trip, Michelle helped driving because of my condition. I was weak and unable to do much activity, for the last ten years I was fatigued easily, I had been repeatedly diagnosed with pneumonia, sleep apnea, muscle fatigue, but the treatments did not make much difference; each day I could do less and I got tired faster. About four months before, the cardiologist thought the problem was the heart, but his treatment did not seem to help much and maybe even made me worse.Thanksgiving day arrived and I had no desire to do anything, I looked at the list of diseases that could cause my symptoms, it was long, I looked at the first one, weird name, I do not remember what it was, but I started reading everything I could find on it. At some point in my research I found some details that did not match what I had. I continued with the next, reading the details I remember being scared, it was a serious and fatal condition, but while reading I became convinced that it was not what I had. So I continued to study throughout the day while the family was still around me celebrating and enjoying. They watched movies, played with the cousins, talking, but I only remember all of that vaguely, because I was concentrating on my research. I should add that I have no medical background, therefore, most of the time was spent searching for the meaning of the terms used to describe diseases. Sometimes confused by so many diseases that share several symptoms, I kept reading, understanding that this was, without exaggeration, one of the most important researches of my life. The lack of clinical background was compensated in part by the methodical application of analysis achieved by years spent playing chess and writing code to make the computer do what I ask of them.I had never heard of most of these diseases, Myasthenia gravis (MG)? what is that? However, when investigating a chill began to run down my spine … I could identify symptoms I had suffered all my life, since childhood! I felt within me an unbalanced confusion between joy and fear, my eyes filled with tears, I could relate to all the details of this disease, but inside of me I wished it was not true, because the description began: “It is a rare and incurable neuromuscular disease…” I kept investigating all others, perhaps to try to find some other, less painful, explanation, but it was impossible, all other conditions had details that did not fit.I immediately wrote to my doctor: I think I have myasthenia gravis. She doubted it, but he gave me an appointment in which I explained all my reasons, she then said, hmmm, it sounds possible, but it would have to confirmed by a neurologist, and she made me an appointment.Unfortunately, neurologists are too busy and the first appointment was several months later. As the weeks passed, my body grew weaker, my limbs were paralyzed and my chest refused to breathe. Getting weaker by the day, I kept researching all I could on myasthenia gravis. I learned that it was called Myasthenia Gravis pseudo-paralytic before being shortened to its current name; originally the mortality rate associated with Myasthenia Gravis was 70%, but today, with treatment, is only 3 to 5%. I also learned about the great story of Dr. Mary Walker, who discovered, quite by accident, in 1934, that the antidote to the poison curare also had a positive effect on patients with MG. She experimented with the antidote and established the protocol that is used until today for the treatment of symptoms. Moreover, she found that exercising one side of the body weakened the other side, which she made her conclude (which could only be tested much later by advanced experiments) that MG was produced by an agent circulating in the body.Finally the day came when they would run the official “test” that determines the diagnosis. It was done by inserting a very fine needle through the forehead and driving it to the base of the muscle that moves the eye and read the signals of the interaction between the nerve and the muscle. Then they proceeded to put sensors in various parts of the body and send electric shocks that made one jump in pain. At the end, the Dr. said, there is no doubt you have Systemic Myasthenia Gravis. She went to call the neurologist who would be in charge of my case; when he came, he said, So you are the patient who self-diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis? From that day I started medication for symptoms.For the next months, the symptoms improved with medication, but not enough, so the neurologist suggested I change to a treatment that attacks the root of the disease. Unfortunately, the root of the disease is the immune system and had to be neutralized. The consequences would be very risky, but it would control the disease. I decided to accept and about six months later, I got almost to the point of remission of the disease.Throughout this process, the Lord has shown me my weakness and my need for Him. Am I cured? Am I 100% without disease? No, none of us are, we all have an incurable disease that weakens our bodies until they can no longer operate, and we die. But in my case, without the defense provided by the immune system, I am more prone to infections and diseases. In recent months I have been to urgent care three times due to infections. I have to be a lot more careful, I no longer shake hands or kiss (to prevent viruses or bacteria that would sicken me), I can not eat raw foods, and I have to be in constant check with the specialist. Even a simple visit to the dentist now requires the neurologist approval before proceeding. I need to have good health insurance, my medicines reach several thousand dollars, and each CT scan costs a lot, too. Speaking of scan next Wednesday I will have a third one done, because for the last month I had a pulsatile tinnitus in the right ear and the audiology test result from yesterday was normal, so they have to look inside the head to rule out a vascular problem.I do not know what will happen tomorrow, or next week, but today I have to give thanks.

• I thank God for the advancement of medicine and society, in a year of intense disease I’ve only missed three days of work (Duke University allows me to work from home when needed).
• I thank God for the friend who gave me the list of diseases, because I rather know that I have an incurable disease, than uncertainty.
• I thank God for the awareness that I will die any day, which has helped me value my days, my family, my work, my life and give every day thanks to God.
• I thank God for doctors like Mary Walker who followed her intuition (given by God) to improve my life.
• I thank God for giving me the strength to preach His gospel. A few weeks ago we started to preach the gospel in Spanish in a new ministry in North Raleigh, and in February I will help start a second church in downtown Raleigh, Lord willing.
• I thank God for my family, each of them are a blessing and support in my life.
• I thank God for my brothers in Christ, which over the years have become my family, and I have been a big support in trouble times.
• I thank God for my friends, who with their jokes and friendship have always been there.
• I thank God for His infinite grace; in His love and care, it has been a good year.