2024-01-06 02:17:08
Updated Saturday, 6 January 2024 – 01:17
In March 2022, the double Dakar champion was detected with a malignant tumor in his bladder. He had surgery, he went through chemo, they reconstructed his organ and now, just a year and a half later, he is back in the race. For the 26th time.
Nani Roma, this Wednesday in Al-Ula.AFP
Beautiful Rome (Folgueroles, 1972) does not live one Kings Parade since I was a child. Of 1998 a 2022 ran uninterruptedly Dakarwhich is always disputed at the beginning of January, and last year, despite staying at home, his children, April, Jlia and Marc, they no longer had the age, the innocence. It was very strange to be home on Three Kings Day because They have never been part of my Christmas, from my family’s Christmas. We shit the Ti the Dec. 24 because there is a stage on January 6, Roma tells EL MUNDO before returning to the Dakar and recovering its tradition. Today, January 6, in fact, there is a stage. A bladder cancerwith his operation and chemotherapy, forced him to miss the last edition, but this time nothing will prevent him from competing (yesterday he finished 16). The winner in motorcycles in 2004 and in cars in 2014 is back in the desert as a pilot Ford and be one of the favorites with Nasser Al-Attiyah, Stphane Peterhansel oCarlos Sainz.
How are you feeling? Very good, really. It has cost me a lot, I have had to work twice as hard as other years. I came from very low, the chemo left me on the floor, knackered. It was very difficult to regain muscle tone, but now I feel very good. Did you always know I would come back? From the beginning of the process I set the goal of getting back into a car and that helped me. On June 14 I had surgery and on September 16 I was already running in a test in Morocco. I’m very stubborn, but it also scared me, I can’t deny that. When they told me I had an 80% chance of survival I thought: ‘What about the remaining 20%?’ I felt enormous fear. I had to try to worry my family as little as possible, so that it wouldn’t be traumatic for them, but I wasn’t calm, of course. They say he got a master’s degree in oncology. It’s just that I was very harsh with my doctors. I went to the consultation with a notebook and a list of questions. I didn’t want to start searching the internet and end up with wrong information. For me it was very important to know how chemotherapy works and what I would feel afterwards, what side effects I might experience, how to treat them. And the operation is the same. Before entering the operating room I saw an operation with the Da Vinci [un robot de ciruga] like what they were going to do to me. All of that helped me. How did I experience the last edition of the Dakar? I was helping with the RTVE broadcast so I lived it very intensely, following each stage, talking to my friends who were competing. I was calm, really. I have played sports all my life, I have not drunk, I have not smoked, I have not taken drugs and, suddenly, cancer. But hey, life is like that. In fact, in the entire process I only reproach myself. Which one? Before my cancer was detected, I had not had checkups for a couple of years and I had urinated blood in a couple of stages in 2021 and 2022. It was an alarm, something was happening. But I thought it was because we hit the car and sat driving for so many hours. In fact maybe so, the doctors tell me that I might not have cancer at that time. I don’t know, it’s a reproach I make to myself, but there’s no turning back. Now do you see life with different eyes? It happens to me like everyone else, the truth is, I get overwhelmed by routine. There are days when I get angry over stupid things, I still fall into that. Although I calm down faster, I take matters into their own hands. I have noticed myself competing differently, that’s for sure. If I have a problem I think: ‘Calm down, Nani, it’s just a race’. You are 51 years old, Al-Attiyah is 53, Peterhansel is 58, Carlos Sainz is 61. The Dakar is not for kids. It’s just that in recent years Two things have happened. Firstly, we veterans wanted to continue and we have an advantage because navigation, experience, temperance, are very important in the race. And secondly, the brands have not wanted to risk giving the alternative to young people. That is changing, Toyota has signed Seth Quintero and Lucas Moraes, who are 21 and 33 years old, but it has been difficult. And now, until when? This is what I like. It’s very hard, but the reward is enormous. Being involved, being competing, is very exciting. Then you can win or not, that is not the important thing, but you vibrate if you compete well. As long as I maintain that emotion and they want to keep running the Dakar.#Nani #Roma #cancer #felt #enormous #fear