Dr Marvin Manzanero became the face of Belize's fight against the pandemic last year, navigating us through rough waters and providing a sense of calm to an anxious population. But while he fought the good fight- he did it from the front, and eventually became victim to the virus that has been on a rampage since March 2020. Last December, Dr Manzanero faced serious COVID complications during and after his bout with the virus. It's been exactly one year since he went on a 7 week sick leave, and this past Sunday, he participated in the 13.1 mile End of the World Marathon.
But, how did he do it? Going from scarred lungs to an almost personal best run in one year? Well, in 12 months of personal and professional upheaval - he found motivation to prove his fitness by going back to the marathons that he had run before COVID.
Today, our team visited him in the ground floor office space that he was forced into after his sick leave, and he spoke to us about his time during and after the virus. Courtney Menzies has this story.
It was one year yesterday when Dr Marvin Manzanero got that dreaded message that he had tested positive for COVID. After that day, his life would be forever changed both health-wise and professionally.
And 365 days later, he was able to reflect on all that has happened and explained that it was the events of those past 12 months that fueled him during the End of the World Marathon in Placencia this past Sunday.
Dr. Marvin Manzanero, Director of Health Services
"I don't know that I specifically trained to do the half marathon, I had done it three times before and as another fact, the most I had ran before I did on Sunday was 7.2 kilometers, that's 1/3 of the distance I ran on Sunday but I think it's beyond the physical, it's also the emotional and mental components that I have gone through both professionally and what I had I had to go through physically as a recovering COVID 19 patient."
December 7th 2020 was a Monday, and though Dr Manza didn't have full symptoms, he still got tested before going home. It was on his drive to his house that he got the result and immediately went into isolation. On Friday the 11th, he became short of breath, and the next day he checked himself into the KHMH.
But his recovery has been a lot longer than the average 2 weeks, since he's had to deal with lung scarring and extreme fatigue.
Dr. Marvin Manzanero, Director of Health Services
"But I think I was going through emotional situations as well, mental fatigue as well, and I was just fatigued, I don't recall anything particularly happening there but the week after Christmas, I had been able to climb a flight of stairs, 11 steps, I was suddenly much more fatigue than when I came out of the hospital so that's when I went and got a second CAT scan done and realized there was lots of scarring tissue on both basis of the lungs. It would take me I think until March to be able to run, walk, a complete kilometer without stopping so I think over January, February, I would just walk around the house, yard, baby steps, if you will. And throughout months I would have days when I would just be unusually fatigued. The last bout that I just had no energy to get out of bed was perhaps in early November. That's what also has kept me away from being able to do any kind of long runs. Sunday was my longest run by far and I think it's a mental determination that really just allowed me to keep going through the cramps and through the physical pain thart you have to go through."
And during all this time, Dr Manzanero, who has been at the helm of the ship, steering us through the pandemic since before COVID arrived in the country, has had to deal with the mental stress of being in limbo at the Ministry of Health. The moment he went on sick leave, he realized his career was in jeopardy.
Dr. Marvin Manzanero, Director of Health Services
"But that same evening when I was going home, I was, for example, locked out of my government account and my dhs@health.gov.bz account, I was locked out of it. To date, more than a year later, I never recovered it, those were never given back to me, and those weren't specific to Marvin Manzanero, that was specific to the desk I had. As I'm walking up the steps of home to deal with a situation of how to isolate at home, I got the email alerts on my phone."
"That's one of two events that happened that day when I fell ill and of course the cascade of events that would happen after that and I'm saying this because there are many things that I have not disclosed, have made public, because I've been respectful of processes, situations, but nothing is really communicated to me and not even in writing which is how you expect things to be done."
"Even when you are on sick leave, for example, there are clear processes you need to follow, I mean you can't be writing people memos when people are on sick leave. That would start he following day, the first day I was on sick leave, one year ago, around this time."
And this is what started a series of what he refers to as micro and macro aggressions at his workplace - which included being forced out of the loop. Dr Manza explained that things were happening without his knowledge that he would later find out about through messages of support he received from the public.
He added though that this had aided him in his personal growth - and drove him to the finish line during the marathon.
Dr. Marvin Manzanero, Director of Health Services
"Nobody was communicating anything to me officially so I was only hearing what was being said and I still have all those video clips, interviews, that were being done in terms of how my situation was being done while I wasn't here. Would that have contributed? Perhaps, I think it drives you, it's not something that you should do, I don't think you should go after somebody when they are on sick leave which his the impression I eventually had and of course when I was in the hospital the overwhelming support that I started to get and I figured it was because more things were being said while I was in the hospital."
"It hasn't been easy but I think you learn as you go along, I think you become a stronger person and I think elements of that is what drove me, I am convinced of that, on Sunday, I think it was a lot of mental and emotional resilience that I needed to get out and when you're running that distance, it's really you against yourself, you're fighting yourself, there's nothing else, so when you have pain and cramps and stuff, you just have to mentally shut it down but I think throughout the year you have had to mentally shut down lots of things, emotionally have to shut down lots of things and grow with that."
Courtney Menzies:
"Any normal person would have some type of feelings of resentment towards this whole situation, is this something that you've also dealt with?"
Dr. Marvin Manzanero, Director of Health Services
"I think initially you go through all phases, guilt, frustration, anger, but I don't know if I have any of those anymore and maybe the anger is expressed by running, you go through that process, no I don't have any of that, you can't be an angry person, you can't be a resentful person, that's not who I am. If I had any of those feelings I think I have outgrown them, I have learnt from them because I'm more emotional, mental resilient person but I don't resent it I mean these are things I don't control. How you treat me doesn't say necessarily anything about me, I think it says things about you."
So what happens to Dr Manza now? Well, his post has been made redundant as said in the House of Representatives, but there's still processes that need to dealt with before he is officially ousted from his position.
Dr. Marvin Manzanero, Director of Health Services
"So I report to work because unless I am told otherwise and it has to be in writing because I wasn't hired verbally or electronically, through the process I assume once that letter comes I will determine what course of action I need to take."
So, one year after the diagnosis, and three days after the marathon - the affliction of being marked as a pariah continues for Dr Manzanero as he serves out an indefinite sentence, in a windowless office on the ground floor of the Ministry of Health and Wellness.
And one of Dr Manza's most recent small successes is almost matching his personal best time in the End of the World Marathon. Previously, he was able to finish in 2 hours, 51 minutes, and 7 seconds - but this time, he was 25 seconds slower, finishing in 2 hours, 51 minutes and 32 seconds.
