Riaan U-Israel Hernández, osemdala eGarfield High School e-East Los Angeles onezinwele ezimagagasi, ezidaywe ngokuluhlaza, ugijime ibanga lakhe lokuqala ebangeni lesishiyagalombili. Kwakumnandi kakhulu kangangokuthi wanquma ukukwenza izikhathi eziningana.
Kepha ngo-2020, phakathi nobhubhane lwe-COVID-19, ngenkathi eziqeqeshela iLos Angeles Marathon, uHernández wezwa izimpawu zokuqala zokugula okubi.
“Nganginobuhlungu esifubeni nakwezinye izingxenye zomzimba wami,” kusho uHernández, okwatholakala ukuthi unomdlavuza wamasende.
Unina, uJosefina Montero, wayesaba lapho ebona ama-X-ray akhe ngemva kokumyisa esibhedlela. Wayekhala kakhulu kodwa akazange aphelelwe ukholo futhi wayeyikhuthaza indodana yakhe njalo lapho kudingeka ithole ukwelashwa okuqeda amandla ngamakhemikhali.
UHernández uthe uthole ugqozi kunina emtshela ukuthi ukwelashelwa ngamakhemikhali kufana nokuqeda umjaho.
“Ungitshele ukuthi ngingalokothi ngiyeke futhi ngiqhubeke,” kusho uHernandez.
U-Hernández waphuthelwa ukugijima i-marathon ngo-2021. Wenza izikhathi eziyisithupha ze-chemotherapy futhi manje uya kudokotela njalo ezinyangeni eziyisithupha ukuze ahlolwe. Ngemva kokuvunyelwa odokotela bakhe, wabuyela eqenjini lakhe lokuqeqesha, i-Students Run LA, ngonyaka odlule.
“Bekunzima kakhulu ngoba angikwazanga ukufeza iphupho lami. Iphupho lami kwakuwukuba ngishesha kakhulu, kodwa umama wangitshela ukuthi impilo ihamba phambili ngaso sonke isikhathi,” kusho uHernández, owagijima umjaho wamamayela angu-26.2 ngamahora angu-4 nemizuzu engu-14 ebangeni lesishiyagalolunye; ngeledlule uyigijime ngo-5:45.
Ingxenye yeqembu laseGarfield High ithole imifaniswano yayo ngoMgqibelo odlule ngaphambi kweMarathon.
(Eduard Cauich)
“Kuyaqondakala ngoba angikaze ngigijime kusukela ngokwelashwa ngamakhemikhali. Ngiyethemba ukuthi kulo nyaka ngizoba nesikhathi esingcono,” kusho yena.
NgeSonto, uHernández nabanye abafundi ababalelwa ku-2,500 bazogijima kuhlelo lwama-38 lwemarathon njengengxenye ye-Students Run LA. Bazojoyinwa amavolontiya abantu abadala abacela ku-500, iningi labo okungothisha nabaphathi ezikoleni zabafundi.
Lo mjaho uzohlanganisa abasubathi abavela kuzo zonke izifundazwe ezingama-50 namazwe angaphezu kuka-67, ezifundweni eziqala eDodger Stadium futhi zidlule eWest Hollywood naseBeverly Hills ngaphambi kokuphela e-Century City.
Isibindi nokuqiniseka kukaHernández kumangaze abaqeqeshi bakhe, abathi usezethemba kakhulu njengoba eqhubeka.
“Okwenzeka kuyena yinto abengayifiseli muntu, kodwa unogqozi nomfutho. Abanye abafundi noma abantu abadala ngabe sebeyekile kakade. Ulokhu eza ukuzoqeqesha. I-marathon sengiyenze izikhathi eziningi, kodwa lokhu kuyakhuthaza,” kusho umqeqeshi we-Students Run LA Garfield, u-Abraham López, osegijime izikhathi ezingu-22.
Ku-Students Run LA, i-marathon isiphetho sezinyanga eziyisikhombisa zokusebenza kanzima nokuzinikela. Ihlanganisa ndawonye amaqembu ezikole angaphezu kuka-185 amele imiphakathi entulayo, kusukela eSan Fernando Valley kuya eWhittier, eSan Pedro kuya e-Eagle Rock, nakuyo yonke indawo phakathi.
URaymond Eason, umqeqeshi we-Students Run LA e-Garfield High, useqeqeshe abafundi besikole kusukela ngo-1998 futhi usaqhubeka no-López, u-Erika Ramirez noCindy Cumbess.
“U-Israel unamandla amaningi. Kukho konke okwenzekile ubungeke ukubone ngoba uma efika lapha unikela ngakho konke anakho. Ugcina iqembu likhuthazekile,” kusho u-Eason.
“Bafunda ukubekezela nokuthi bathola okuthile okubalulekile lapho benza umzamo,” kwenezela uLópez.
UCeleste Ortega, owazalelwa e-East Los Angeles futhi wakhulela ePuebla, eMexico, ungomunye wabadlali abayisishiyagalombili beqembu likaHernández eGarfield. Eminyakeni evamile, iqembu lesikole linabagijimi abambalwa, kodwa lelo nani lehla ngesikhathi sodlame.
U-Ortega wabuyela eSouthern California eminyakeni emibili edlule ezofuna ikusasa elingcono, kanti amalungu omndeni wakhe aseduze, okuhlanganisa abafowabo ababili abancane nodadewabo omdala, basala eMexico.
“Ngizele umndeni wami lapha. Ngifuna ukubasiza ngelinye ilanga. Ngiyazi ukuthi ngelinye ilanga sizoba ndawonye,” kusho u-Ortega, 18.
Ku-Ortega, ukugijima i-marathon kube yithuba lokukhulisa ama-horizons akhe, ukwenza abangane abasha nokwakha umphakathi ekhaya elisha.
Ufike esikoleni e-US entwasahlobo ka-2021 futhi uhlala no-anti wakhe uJeanette Rosas kanye nomzala wakhe, u-Axel, owayeyingxenye ye-SRLA eGarfield. U-Axel uthole ukuthi umzala wakhe ubethanda ukugijima ngesikhathi evakashele eMexico futhi wamgqugquzela ukuthi ajoyine iqembu le-SRLA.
“Ngifuna ukuba omunye umthombo wokuziqhenya ngomndeni wami kanye nomndeni engihlala nawo njengamanje, futhi zonke lezi zinzuzo engizenzile ngibonga umzala wami u-Axel; uyena ongigqugquzelayo,” kusho u-Ortega, iphupho lakhe wukuya e-USC ukuyofundela i-physical therapy.
Ukuba yingxenye ye-SRLA kuvumele u-Ortega ukuthi athuthukise isiNgisi sakhe futhi akhe umphakathi ngale kwekilasi lakhe. Uthe ingxenye engcono kakhulu ye-SRLA isebenzela ukufeza izinhloso zakho nabanye abafundi nobuhlakani.
“Kunzima kodwa kimina, ngiqale ngacabanga ukuthi akukuningi kimina. Angibange ngisakwazi ukubambelela ku-Mile 22; Ngaba nomuzwa wokuthi ngeke ngikwazi ukuzibamba,” kukhumbula u-Ortega. “Kodwa ngiwuthandile futhi manje ngilungiselela umjaho wami wesibili futhi ngifuna ukwenza owesithathu.”
