“Standing up was a titanic victory”: Jorge Mendelzon presents his new book

Businessman and writer Jorge Mendelzon presented his second book, "De pie. Palabras para sostener el alma" (Standing. Words to sustain the soul), in an emotional event at the Mariscal Convention Center. The work was born from writings he created during the most difficult months of his treatment for pigmented villonodular synovitis, a chronic illness.

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It's very hard for me to open up or communicate my problems, and I found writing to be a way to vent

Mendelzon shared that he no longer says "I am cured" but prefers to say "I am lucky to return." This sentiment permeates his new book, where he reconstructs the 15 most complex months of his treatment and reflects on learning to live with a chronic condition. He explained that the book originated from intimate notes written during long nights of treatment and recovery, when pain, insomnia, and uncertainty made it difficult to express his experiences.

"It's very hard for me to open up or communicate my problems, and I found writing to be a way to vent," Mendelzon told the audience. These initial writings were not intended for publication but were personal reflections poured out in the early morning hours, capturing thoughts he couldn't share with others. "Those were the words I couldn't share, but I saw that I could write them. That's how I spent months and long early mornings taking notes. It was nothing more than telling what I felt," he recounted.

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Those were the words I couldn't share, but I saw that I could write them. That's how I spent months and long early mornings taking notes. It was nothing more than telling what I felt

Over time, these drafts evolved into a structured narrative. Mendelzon explained that the letters in the book are the result of organizing these writings, addressed to various symbolic recipients. "The letters are nothing more than the order I gave to all those disorganized drafts I wrote for months. During that time, I wrote to the pain, I wrote to God and asked him to encourage me when I could no longer bear the situation I was living," he commented. He added that this need to write became a tool for processing his experience, focusing on the emotions, fears, and questions that accompanied the period rather than just the medical facts.

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The letters are nothing more than the order I gave to all those disorganized drafts I wrote for months. During that time, I wrote to the pain, I wrote to God and asked him to encourage me when I could no longer bear the situation I was living