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Martín Porolli: My name is Rolando Porolli. I am 71 years old, going on 72. Ever since I was a young boy, I have worked as a vintner with a great deal of passion and love.

Well, my diagnosis was pretty recent. Exactly a year ago, in September. It was fast, but it was very hard because first, it was an analysis done on me, the PSA was found to be elevated. Then, I underwent a PET scan, and then they gave me the famous words: cancer, metastatic cancer.

The truth is that it was very tough. You are shocked. But immediately, with the help of doctors, the help of treatment, help from family, friends, and everyone, anecdotes along the way, I was overcoming it, and today, I am really great. The relationship with my doctor, what can I say? We started by forming a very formal relationship, and today, we have become great friends, because your life is really at stake. In other words, the place where the doctor works, where he practices; I personally call it a “club.” The COIR (Centro Oncologico de Integracion Reginal) of Mendoza is an extraordinary place, the nurses, the cleanliness, the gentle care they treat you with, you end up forming a truly extraordinary bond. You are no longer afraid, but just the opposite; you feel protected and content.

At first, yes, because of the shock. That shock I was telling you about, that you feel, and you think you are helpless. My daughter, allow me to use this expression, my daughter. My whole family was distraught, as anyone would be. My daughter always had a saying that: "Dad, when your time is up.” Very funny, but very real. So, recovering took a lot. But today, my life is back to almost normal, if not for saying completely normal. I’m very happy. Family, friends, everyone, especially the doctor, supports you. So, today, one year after treatment, for this cancer, which is not invasive at all; I am as happy as you see me now. I’m not hiding anything. It is something that might seem difficult, but it’s not that hard for all those people who have to go down this path. They always told me about problems with virility, with this or that. The truth is that at the beginning, virility doesn’t matter that much to you, because the word cancer with metastasis, I’ll repeat, is scary. The last thing you are worried about is virility. You work it out. And today, I would say yes. Look, I’m not, let’s see, let’s just say I am not a “bull” or sex machine. But you continue to like women, if that’s what you like. If there are other people who like something else, everything is OK and...And it’s all good.

In any case, when you are a man who is ... almost 72, virility and sex are not the top priorities. With or without cancer. With or without treatment. You see, I am offering you real optimism. It is not false optimism. I am speaking from my treatment standpoint, which is hormonal; It’s neither chemo nor radiation. I have not gone through that. But yeah, you feel the shock. You learn to live with it; you continue to see a psychologist and a psychiatrist.I have never seen a psychologist, let alone a psychiatrist. I didn’t want that type of treatment because I thought I was self-sufficient. But my… my psychologist, Noe, no last name since this isn’t about publicity, she helped me in several ways, and the psychiatrist gave me some sleeping pills. The truth is that I feel very happy, I feel very good, and the thing I can tell you is that they make such an effort. It is not difficult at all, and it passes. I am going to tell you something very important, what the first doctor who saw me told me. He told me: “Look, chubby, you are going to die of something, but you’re not going to die from this.” So, those words still ring in my ear, and the truth is that it’s just like that. Yes, I am passionately telling all of you. Get all the help you can, get all the advice, let yourself be loved, let yourself be pampered; the worst thing that will happen to you, the only bad thing that will happen to you, is that when everyone finds out that you have cancer, they will ask you: "Are you alright?"

So those words "Are you alright?” cause you…You tell them: “Yeah, brother, I’m fine. Why are you asking me if I’m alright?" I have a good story: A guy who saw me on the street asks me: "But weren’t you sick?" "Yes, I have cancer." But, no, no, it's cancer... You begin to live with the word, with everything that entails. So, what I want to convey to you is for you to be totally optimistic. Take it easy. And I would tell you this without hiding anything. My granddaughters talk about my cancer; they help me take the pills. So… total optimism. What my doctor told me: "You are not going to die from this." And lastly, all of your friends who want to help you, who ask you: “Are you alright? Are you okay?"

So just tell them: “Brother, I’m fine. Don’t keep asking me whenever you see me if I’m alright." Yes, we have left a very an important topic for the end, but that is because it is so important. At first, my family suffered a great shock. A family…We have six children and 11 grandchildren. And we are very close. We are very much homebodies. And yes, they suffered a lot. They were all apprehensive. There were tears, there was worry. But believe me, their support is crucial. It’s so crucial, going through this together, and in the end, we ended up supporting them, and not they us. Although what I’m saying seems crazy, but, pardon the expression, that’s the way it ends up being something that… we are treating it, we are being sincere, with our grandchildren, with our children, with activities, with jokes, and everything is becoming more bearable. I can’t leave out our friends, who are also crucial. Social life has to continue to be a very important thing. You don’t have to... At first, you pull back a little; you shut yourself off. No, there is no need to shut yourself off or anything like that. You have to go about sports a little easier if you are athletic.

And obviously, the support of the doctor, like I told you at the beginning, the support of the “club,” which is what I call the COIR, funny, but very serious, it is also essential because these are the people who support you. I will not give out names because that’s irrelevant, but hey, all of the doctors at the COIR, they have all been great to me, the nurses and everyone. So, everything - your family, your grandchildren, friends, doctors...and everyone around you clearly helps, all of this helps you a lot, but mainly you have to develop a good mood. A strong will, a lot of strength. They tell me, but telling you, this is coming straight from my heart ...Give them a hopeful message, ...More than hope, I give you life, I am giving you strength, I am giving you ...Everything is possible, everything is possible with hope. Do not let... for those who believe in God...and we are believers, and this has helped us a lot, God, the Virgin Mary. But someone who does not believe in God and the Virgin Mary, let them believe what they believe. And really, a lot of strength. And believe me, all this passes. It’s not as hard as it looks, and time goes by. It’s really nice to convey this finally...

Step through life because, in the end, we are going through this life. And yeah, it’s a stumbling block, one you have to know how to get over. So I want to give you a lot of hope, a lot of happiness, and well, you can see it in my face. I wasn’t prepped, I wasn’t coached, nothing, this is what I feel. So, I send love to all of you, and a kiss to all of you who can understand. I think we have left this for the end...So you don’t think everything is easy. The first punch is a real knockout. Because the analysis is the first notice. The much-talked-about PSA analysis, which wasn’t so high in my case. I’m not going to talk about medicine. But then the PET scan is very hard, and the doctor, when he tells you, and confirms what you have and that it is not operable, that this is treatable, and that you are going to see some results, and it hits you, which affects everything. You start to wonder: What am I going to do?

Am I going to be OK? Am I going to be able to walk?

Am I going to be able to see? Is my hair going to fall out?

All of this will take you a couple of months to absorb. But you get back to normal. The first day was a hard shock. The first week, too. The first month, you are absorbing it. In the second month, you start to get used to the treatment, to the doctors, and to everything I have told you about. Family, friends, and yourselves. I have a lot of strength and keep on doing the same things. No, no, no, we did not stop doing the things that make us happy. The first blow is hard. Get ready for it. But it is not the end of the world or anything like that. A lot of strength and a big hug to all of you who can hear me.

My name is Rolando Porolli. I’m Argentinean. Excuse me for not knowing English or…I’m not speaking good English, but I want to convey. I want to convey. Everything is possible. And with a lot… a lot of heart. And love. A lot of love. The love from here in the heart. I send love to all of you. And a big hug.