The Real-Life Wonder Woman

She was two months pregnant. It was a Friday. She was sleeping on the couch. She was so tired in the early stages of her pregnancy that sometimes she would fall asleep on the couch, and her husband couldn't carry her to bed.

At 5 o'clock in the morning, her husband woke up with a stiff neck. He was heading towards the kitchen and passed by her. She woke up and asked him if everything was okay.

He only had time to say he had a stiff neck and was going to take a muscle relaxant. Then he collapsed to the floor. She saw that the left side of his body was paralyzed, and being pregnant, she didn't want to strain herself trying to lift him. So, she called the ambulance.

By 6 o'clock in the morning, her husband was already intubated.

He had suffered a stroke.

She worked during the day and slept at the hospital with him at night. Pregnant. During the 35 days he spent in the ICU. He came home and all he could do was rehabilitation therapy. All day long, 7 days a week. The stroke had been severe. He needed to relearn how to speak, walk, eat, among many other things.

She had to work. Pregnant.

She worked throughout her pregnancy.

On the night before giving birth.

She didn't have maternity leave.

At 12 days old, her daughter Luna accompanied her on site visits.

She is an architect and wanted to breastfeed her daughter.

She worked tirelessly to take care of her daughter and husband.

Almost 5 years after that Friday, she still works, and he is still rehabilitating.

Today, Luna is 4 years old, healthy, and happy. Despite everything they've been through and still go through, they are happy.

She doesn't fight supervillains. She doesn't protect the world from alien invasions. She doesn't save the planet from any disasters. What makes her a heroine is love, courage, and resilience. Like her, there are other Wonder Women out there.

If you've ever made a sacrifice for someone you love, performed an act of courage and didn't let it bring you down, you're also a heroine or a hero. Fictional heroes and heroines are popular, but it's the real-life heroes who truly inspire us. Real-life heroes are made of love, courage, and resilience.

This heroine's name is Ana Paula, and she is my wife. We are Luna's parents. On May 18, 2018, I suffered a severe stroke that nearly took my life.

As a way to adapt my work as a designer and give back all the love I've received, I created Kosmic Design. A studio whose goal is to create emotional well-being through design. The first product I designed was the Good Vibes Map. A subway map where the lines represent positive emotional states, and the stations are inspiring words.

In the Good Vibes Map, Heroism is a connection between the lines of Love, Courage, and Resilience.