I'm with you, brother. I had a hemorrhagic stroke in November 2024. I thought I was perfectly healthy. My blood panels even came back clean *after* the stroke.
This is such vital work. I was writing a lot of immigration stuff during the attacks on Chicago, my hometown, and then I found your stuff, and I was like, "Man, I don't need to write about this stuff anymore. It's being done so well by Arturo."
Good luck to you. It's nice to hear about others in stroke recovery mode, especially writers. :-)
I am curious about the prior work that you did around disaster recovery. I am new to substack so maybe you already wrote about that in posts years ago; I will see if I can go back on here and look. That experience I find interesting for personal reasons, but it might also be something you can parlay.
Ah, I got rabies immunizations and volunteered to find domestic, agricultural and companion animals and hopefully try to get them reunited with their people. But at the very least to get frightened, lost, malnourished and/or injured animals to a safe place where they would be checked out, begin treatment for injury or illness and eventually rehomed. Sometimes it was more about ending the pain from an acute injury for buddies so stressed it was impossible to tell if they'd been pets or feral.
What a crazy episode. I know it's beyond HARSH, but we should have helped everyone in the city leave. Give the Big Easy back to the Gulf. it's inevitable. Should have used the redouces for a long term solution.
Self publish books starting with Cuba, then the state of journalism, and then the turn toward white supremacy in Latin America under the Orange rapist’s gangster Capitalism for the Cocaine Import Agency, sorely based on collating and commenting on your articles, and then offer them as textbooks for a decolonial course in a community college.
Thank you for sharing your personal story, Arturo. I'm glad I found you on Substack and I'm happy to upgrade to paid now that I know you need a salary bump! 🩷 Solidarity means we take care of each other.
I’m stunned to learn so much about you, Arturo. It’s painful to know of your many challenges. I will keep you and yours in my prayers.
Since finding you on Substack, it was evident that you were definitely a journalist to follow, and to now learn that you re-booted your trajectory with online courses is so very admirable.
Please give your
wife a “thank you” for being your rock…we all need one. As well, thank you for mustering your grit to keep-on keeping-on. Much Respect 🫡
Happy to have continued as a paid subscriber. As an eldest daughter who cared for her father post-stroke for years, I know recovery is not always in a straight line forward. Certainly writing careers are not. Your work is a light on these Susbstack pages.
I'm late writing this, but it's not because I wasn't thinking about how incredibly hard you work and how much I have learned from that work and the work of others you've introduced to your readers. You are beloved and respected by so many of us because you will meet folks where they're at, and then show them where they should be (unless they're racists or trolls) and you don't condescend but you don't sugarcoat shit either. You're always boosting the work of others and really just making every corner of substack or anywhere your work is a better place, a better informed place, a kinder place, community building in the best sense of the word. That's not very common online these days. It's obvious you have a lot of love for your family and I'm so sorry to hear about your father-in-law going through something like what you've described. You've got my subscription for life already. If I can find some to spare I'll send it too.
I just now read this, Arturo. I ache for you and your family. I think I have told you some of the challenges my family is facing. My heart is broken for all of us. I don't know how to express what I am actually feeling, but I believe we are all connected. Any love we have for each other is a way to resist this fascist regime. If I can find a way to help financially, I will try to give more than my current subscription. Much love to all of your family.
I appreciate you being vulnerable. I know it’s challenging. But it also helps us better understand how we can support your work, for which I am very grateful. Even more, it allows to better understand you on a human level. We have to be here for each other.
Thank you Arturo for your much needed voice here on Substack. I have learned so much from your writings. We all need to get better at supporting one another- that bs about pulling oneself up blah blah- more capitalist lies to keep us divided! Patria o Muerte (except I don’t want any Cubans to die because our government can’t keep its greedy imperialist hands off sovereign nations).
I hate this. I hate how people with integrity speaking truth have to scrape while grifters have more than they need. Hang in there, hermano.
Thank you. I hate it too.
Hey Arturo - this was a very timely nudge to me that I actually need to start helping you out a bit. Not nearly as much as you’ve helped me but still.
Thank you so much, Mark. I really appreciate it!
I'm with you, brother. I had a hemorrhagic stroke in November 2024. I thought I was perfectly healthy. My blood panels even came back clean *after* the stroke.
This is such vital work. I was writing a lot of immigration stuff during the attacks on Chicago, my hometown, and then I found your stuff, and I was like, "Man, I don't need to write about this stuff anymore. It's being done so well by Arturo."
Good luck to you. It's nice to hear about others in stroke recovery mode, especially writers. :-)
I am curious about the prior work that you did around disaster recovery. I am new to substack so maybe you already wrote about that in posts years ago; I will see if I can go back on here and look. That experience I find interesting for personal reasons, but it might also be something you can parlay.
I did a lot of work for FEMA and various cities. We worked Hurricane Katrina for nearly two years.
Ah, I got rabies immunizations and volunteered to find domestic, agricultural and companion animals and hopefully try to get them reunited with their people. But at the very least to get frightened, lost, malnourished and/or injured animals to a safe place where they would be checked out, begin treatment for injury or illness and eventually rehomed. Sometimes it was more about ending the pain from an acute injury for buddies so stressed it was impossible to tell if they'd been pets or feral.
What a crazy episode. I know it's beyond HARSH, but we should have helped everyone in the city leave. Give the Big Easy back to the Gulf. it's inevitable. Should have used the redouces for a long term solution.
What a trip that must have been!
Self publish books starting with Cuba, then the state of journalism, and then the turn toward white supremacy in Latin America under the Orange rapist’s gangster Capitalism for the Cocaine Import Agency, sorely based on collating and commenting on your articles, and then offer them as textbooks for a decolonial course in a community college.
+1 and make it an ebook for public consumption. I'd definitely buy it! I say this knowing that if "make a book" were easy, I'd have 5 already.
I think you're onto something! And Arturo, you're in an area where there are small colleges and education resources. Might be something to look into!
Yeah, damn brilliant! There's a real need for it and Arturo can cover that shit forwards and backwards!
Thank you for sharing your personal story, Arturo. I'm glad I found you on Substack and I'm happy to upgrade to paid now that I know you need a salary bump! 🩷 Solidarity means we take care of each other.
Thank you so much Mary!
Life can be so cruel hermano. I admire your tenacity and courage. Never apologize for your convictions or love for your home country. 🫶🏽✌🏽
You are awesome. Thank you for everything.
I consider you a mentor for my writing and calm voice during these difficult times🫶🏽
OMG! Really? I am humbled. ♥️
I’m stunned to learn so much about you, Arturo. It’s painful to know of your many challenges. I will keep you and yours in my prayers.
Since finding you on Substack, it was evident that you were definitely a journalist to follow, and to now learn that you re-booted your trajectory with online courses is so very admirable.
Please give your
wife a “thank you” for being your rock…we all need one. As well, thank you for mustering your grit to keep-on keeping-on. Much Respect 🫡
"still fighting the good fight." A given to anyone who knows you and your great work.
Do what you need to do for yourself, your soul, your situation.
Respect and appreciation is what we all have for you. Always will.
Be good to yourself. No one of worth will ever hold that against you!
Sincerely. ✌️🤟🤙
Your work is worth every cent people can manage. I have learnt so much from you.
I appreciate you so much. Thank you.
Happy to have continued as a paid subscriber. As an eldest daughter who cared for her father post-stroke for years, I know recovery is not always in a straight line forward. Certainly writing careers are not. Your work is a light on these Susbstack pages.
Thank you so much, Elizabeth!
You are most welcome, Arturo!
Mate, I'm sorry to hear about your Dad in law.
All the best for his rehab/recovery.
Much as a I like reading your articles don't worry too much about the scheduled(I won't be going any where).
Family first Mate, do what you gotta' do.
I wish you guys all the best.
Aoroha Nui mai, Aotearoa
Much Love From New Zealand
Thank you so much, Cristina.
I'm late writing this, but it's not because I wasn't thinking about how incredibly hard you work and how much I have learned from that work and the work of others you've introduced to your readers. You are beloved and respected by so many of us because you will meet folks where they're at, and then show them where they should be (unless they're racists or trolls) and you don't condescend but you don't sugarcoat shit either. You're always boosting the work of others and really just making every corner of substack or anywhere your work is a better place, a better informed place, a kinder place, community building in the best sense of the word. That's not very common online these days. It's obvious you have a lot of love for your family and I'm so sorry to hear about your father-in-law going through something like what you've described. You've got my subscription for life already. If I can find some to spare I'll send it too.
Thank you for saying this, Rachel. It made my day. I appreciate you.
I just now read this, Arturo. I ache for you and your family. I think I have told you some of the challenges my family is facing. My heart is broken for all of us. I don't know how to express what I am actually feeling, but I believe we are all connected. Any love we have for each other is a way to resist this fascist regime. If I can find a way to help financially, I will try to give more than my current subscription. Much love to all of your family.
Thank you so much, Susan. I too believe we are all connected through our struggles. I'm appreciative of having you in my community.
I appreciate you being vulnerable. I know it’s challenging. But it also helps us better understand how we can support your work, for which I am very grateful. Even more, it allows to better understand you on a human level. We have to be here for each other.
You're amazing, Beth. Thank you so much.
Thank you Arturo for your much needed voice here on Substack. I have learned so much from your writings. We all need to get better at supporting one another- that bs about pulling oneself up blah blah- more capitalist lies to keep us divided! Patria o Muerte (except I don’t want any Cubans to die because our government can’t keep its greedy imperialist hands off sovereign nations).