Addison man with muscular dystrophy greets life with a smile
The first thing that strikes you about Angel Covarrubias is his big smile. You wouldn’t know he is one of the people for whom the annual Muscular Dystrophy Telethon fundraiser will be held Sunday, Sept. 1, on ABC.
No cure has been found for the muscle-degenerating disease, though some trials using vaccines are showing promise. Covarrubias, who has Becker muscular dystrophy, is not eligible for these trials; his disease has progressed too far.
Still, the 32-year-old Addison resident greets you with a broad smile and a laid-back demeanor, common in his large Mexican family. His single mother, Eliud, is one of 11 children.
“I’m basically a happy, easygoing person. I’m lucky to have my uncle and neighbors drive me places,” Covarrubias says.
Covarrubias is a 2000 graduate of Elgin High School and has attended various community colleges, studying information technology. He was driving, walking with a cane and working in the Elgin Community College admissions office until 2009. That year everything changed as he gradually submitted to a wheelchair.
Covarrubias and his mother were directed to the Joni & Friends ministry in Oak Brook, which offers family retreats and counseling to help cope with the disabilities.
“We went to a retreat in Indiana, where they talked about MD and how to live your life,” Covarrubias says.
He found comfort in their ministry and, for a time, volunteered stuffing envelopes.
“It made me feel good helping them out,” he says.
Covarrubias attends Mass at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Addison.
“It is near my house and I use my Medicaid scooter to get there. I pray that someday they will find a cure and I will be healed. I think it’s important to stay positive, optimistic and be happy with your life,” he says.
When asked how he adopted this philosophy, Covarrubias answers, “One day I met Nick at a seminar and it changed my life.”
Nick Vujicic was born without arms or legs. Vujicic, who like Covarrubias is in his early 30s, has spent a lifetime overcoming his affliction. He is now an international speaker talking about the love of Jesus.
On his website, lifewithoutlimbs.org, Vujicic writes, “If God can use a man without arms and legs to be His hands and feet, then He will certainly use any willing heart.”
Covarrubias continues to follow Vujicic’s lectures online, as it gives him daily courage. He is now a willing heart.
Covarrubias spends his days staying busy. He has an in-home computer repair business. For fun, he participates in recreational programs offered by the Addison-based Northeast DuPage Special Recreation Association to individuals with disabilities. Covarrubias does water exercises and adaptive fitness to strengthen muscle groups, which help his quality of life.
“I love the feeling of independence that NEDSRA gives me. I would be stuck in the house without these programs,” says Covarrubias with a smile.