Page 13 - ARUBA TODAY

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local Wednesday 6 June 2018

in and my family too and we need to live through
it as we say.” She is still coping with it as life goes
on, for example the relationships with friends. “They
might be fine with it, but I am not always. I feel like
I accepted it but I feel bad with influencing my sur-
roundings and make them feel depressed. I like the
Disney part of life.”
Passion for the Job
Her dream is to continue working in hospitality, but
it will go as long as the body gives you. “I wish also
that employers look at the CV and the qualities of
a person who applies for the job and not turn away
when they see a wheelchair. I was turned away for
that more than once and it is hard. We can do the
same as equally qualified able bodied people.”

Juan E. Irausquin Boulevard 51
Oranjestad, Aruba
Don’t look at what you don’t have, T + 297 582 7000

look at what you do have’

Casa del Mar Beach Resort & Timeshare offers you paradise: an oceanfront loca-
tion on the white sandy Eagle Beach, the amazing blue-green colored Caribbean
ocean, wonderful luxury oceanfront or poolside timesharing suites and a world of
amenities like spa, restaurant, pool and fitness. When calling the resort you most
probably will be greeted by a warm welcoming voice on the other side of the line.
That is Desiree Daniela Maduro, one of the resort’s Operators. When you are there
you might also see her behind the front desk, greeting you from her ‘accessory’ as
she calls it, being her wheelchair.

“I am an operator/front office cashier. I receive and make phone calls, I log in the
guest’s requests for housekeeping, all complaints and so on into the computer. My
heart is in hospitality and I love the interaction with the guest, although an office job
would be more structured for me. I am not in pain but I do take muscle relaxation
medicines as I do sit all day and sometimes it is uncomfortable.” She says her col-
leagues are very understanding with the fact that she is in a wheelchair. “We have
been through some rough patches in the past with understanding each other. But I
gave a presentation for them about what my disease encompasses and after that
we have been flowing so much better. Understanding each other is the key. The re-
sort is very open towards me, they even took away a wall so I can get through with
my wheel chair.” The guests are equally friendly. Desiree laughs: “Now I am more a
feature of Casa del Mar.”

MS at 21
Desiree was a student at EPI when she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, (an
unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system that disrupts
the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body), in her
last year of her studies in Hospitality & Tourism Management, just before she gradu-
ated. “That was in 2010, I started working here mid-2011. The body tells you a lot
and when, I was interning at La Cabana I felt that I could not see well, so I could
not recognize colleagues from short distances. I thought that I needed glasses, but
the following year they took a further look at the hospital and they diagnosed me
with MS.” There were signs like losing feeling in the legs when she was walking long
distances, her knee would give out and during her last walk she could not make it all
the way. “I thought it will be fine. And it was fine, but not as fine as I wanted it to be.
My life, the life of my family completely turned around. I was only 21.” At the time of
the diagnosis she was still able to walk, but soon after she had to use her wheelchair.

Disney Part of Life
Desiree is positively loomed and seems to smile her worries away, at least that she
is showing the outside world. “I am a great believer in God and I believe that God
does not give us more than we can bear. What I have is something I have to take

Casa del Mar would like to welcome
you to their family of owners with suits
available for sale or rental year round.