Jam Sandwiches

By Patricia Lorente

Who can deny that the last year of highschool is horrible? It makes it even worse if your mother constantly tells you how important it is. The arrival of someone special could change the situation. So much that, on the verge of being consumed by strange thoughts about death and history books, that Someone could approach you, say something meaningful and end up in your arms as if it were the most normal thing in the world, making you feel good for the first time in ages.

When Patricia Lorente became a mother for the second time, she had a little girl with a peculiar disease called Phenylketonuria or PKU. Although it was difficult at the beginning, this increased her passion for writing and she introduced a new aspect in some of her stories: the appearance of a character with PKU. Jam Sandwiches is one of them.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Patricia Lorente
• Release date: May 24, 2020
• ISBN: 9780463369104

Patricia Lorente

Nació en Madrid hace tiempo y siempre le gustó escribir. Durante años, su familia y amigos fueron sus únicos lectores, hasta que, en 2007, la editorial Maghenta se decidió a publicarle la novela "Patadas al aire". Aquello le dio mucha energía y ánimo para seguir delante. Desde entonces, algunos de sus cuentos infantiles han sido editados a través de concursos (Smith, el perro cordero - www.nadaperecido.com/smith), así como otras dos novelas: la edición impresa de Sanwiches de Mermelada gracias a los laboratorios Nutricia y la novela de humor Gavilán Palomo .También mantiene un blog de humor absurdo (www.gavilanpalomo.blogspot.com ) y trata de sacar adelante muchos otros proyectos que todavía no han visto la luz. Os mantendrá informados.She was born in Madrid a few years ago and she has always loved writing. For years, her family and friends were her only readers until Maghenta Publishers decided to publish her novel "Patadas al aire". That gave her lots of energy and support to keep going. Since then, some of her stories for children have been published through contests (Smith, the lamb dog - www.nadaperecido.com/smith ) as well as two other novels: the printed version of Jam Sandwiches (thanks to Nutricia Labs.) and Gavilán Palomo.She also writes a funny blog and she ́s working on many other projects that haven ́t seen the light, yet. She ́ll keep you informed.

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JAM SANDWICHES

Patricia Lorente

PROLOGUE: Dr. Amaya Bélanger-Quintana

PROLOGUE

At first glance, it seems appealing to be famous. All of us dream about having our moment of glory where others could admire how handsome, clever and special we are because of something we did. There are thousands of videos on YouTube with a bunch of people doing silly things with the purpose of others looking at them for a few seconds. Athletes, singers or models cause admiration and their example is followed by many. But even those athletes, singers or models complain that they would like to lead a more normal life, without constantly being in the limelight. Because at heart, to go unnoticed allows a lot more tranquility, to do things without stress, without anybody constantly criticizing what you do for better or for worse.

If what makes you special is not good, it is normal to want to hide it. Who boasts of having problems at home? Who loves to show off a terrible scar? Sicknesses, in general, are not a good thing and a lot of people try to hide them. But there are illnesses that are well seen. Suffering from cancer usually generates tokens of affection and solidarity. On the other hand, mental diseases produce rejection, even fear. Then there are unknown diseases. Those with names difficult to pronounce, that even a lot of doctors, don’t know of what they consist. These diseases are called rare diseases because every part of them is rare: the name, their treatment, everything. They are so weird that, of course, the patients who suffer them are weird too. One of those diseases is Phenylketonuria.

Phenylketonuria is a rare disease that used to produce mental retardation. But its cause was discovered and a way to treat it was achieved. Thanks to that treatment patients are normal. As normal as anyone. They go to school like the rest and they get good or bad grades just like everyone else. Some of them go to University to be an engineer, nurse, teacher... others prefer to be a mechanic, cook, or security guard. One thing is necessary to be normal. The treatment has to start during the first weeks of life. Since PKU is rare, patients are found through the heel prick test, when they are newborns. If you have had a brother or sister, a cousin, or a new nephew or niece born recently, it is even possible that this test rings a bell to you.

For the majority of people with Phenylketonuria, the treatment means following a strict diet. Just like celiacs or diabetics. In this case, they can’t have a large amount of proteins and they have to eat special products with proteic substances and vitamins that they can’t get in a natural way. And it is this diet that makes them different, special, because they can’t eat the same things as everyone else. Some people with Phenylketonuria don’t have any problem showing that they have to eat differently. But to always have to give explanations can be tiresome and because of that, some of them prefer not to make it public. Besides, as we already said before, the best is to be normal.

For me it has been a privilege to treat a lot of the patients diagnosed with Phenylketonuria from Madrid and their families. In the beginning, when we diagnose a new patient, the family is usually very depressed and scared, especially because it is a sickness that they don’t know about and that can be very frightening. And what one can find on the Internet is sometimes almost worse. But as time passes and they see that, with the treatment, everything is going well, things change, and a lot of them are encouraged and even have more children, without worrying that the story would repeat itself. To have to follow a strict diet forever takes great effort from the person that follows it and his or her family. Therefore, I want to express here my most sincere admiration and affection to all of them.

Madrid, July 5th, 2012

Amaya Bélanger-Quintana

JAM SANDWICHES

REASONS

Give me one reason to think I might be mistaken about her. It would be enough for me if you closed the book and gave up before even starting. I can't find one single reason to think I am wrong, but many to think that I am not.

Es una chica. Es nueva. Es misteriosa

That’s enough for me. Three reasons to put her in my mind. Three reasons to think about her when I’m awake and I can’t sleep. Three reasons to approach her and say:

–How is it going?

I did. Trust me. And this is how she answered:

–OK. Has anybody told you any differently?

Then I answered:

–Nope.

–Then ok -she said.

And that was