* This text was taken from Dr. Jose Carlos' book, (soon to be published).
 

Left-right: M.Lourdes, Raymundo, Lourdinha  below: José Carlos Véras.

 
On a Sunday in Summer, in 1956, our family was together in Paquetá Island, (a small island in Rio de Janeiro Harbour) in one of its many beaches.  Suddenly, life stopped:  Dr. Raymundo Véras, my father, noticed that I was taking too long to come back from a dip at the beach. Incredible as it may seem, right there started the history of Neurological Organization in Brazil.

Dr. Véras had a vacation house in Paquetá, where he used to spend his weekends, when he still had time to rest and play.  Many years ago, we were there, at the beach, in another of our weekends. In those days I was 15 years old, I was a strong boy and swam very well.  But the beach in Paquetá was very shallow and, by the looks of it very shallow indeed, and when I dived from a dock, I calculated wrong and hit my head violently against the sandy bottom and, when my father rescued me from the water, I was already showing signs of a very serious medullar injury, inclusive with an apparent total paralysis.

Dr. Véras crossed the harbour immediately, bringing me back to Rio, to look for one of best known neurosurgeons of the this city who also was a friend.  The reply from his friend wasn't very encouraging :

"Unfortunately, Véras, there is nothing to be done. It's hard to say this, the cure, in your boy's case, is to wait for death, which will come in ten or fifteen days time, I don't know exactly, but it will come soon, unless a miracle happens.

Quickly thanking him, my father put me back in the same ambulance that had taken me there and then went to Miguel Couto Hospital, in the suburb of Gávea, where he  worked and was in charge.  I went through all types of exams.  I was examined by all the major doctors at the hospital. At the end of it all – during the longest night of his life, he told me, "The answer was identical to the previous one: There is nothing to be done".

My father, even though disheartened, did not give up hope.  He thought it impossible that all of science's resources had already finished, and kept searching for them, wherever they might be. Even for, he always made a point of affirming:  In this wild search for all of science's knowledge, existed a strong faith pushing him on, an unmovable  faith in the Virgin Mary.  In the following week we left for the United States and went to various specialized institutions.  It was all useless.  The answers were always the same. And it appeared that there was no solution.  It was when we were getting ready to return home, my mother, who was crying and praying at Saint Patrick's Cathedral, met someone that said to her:

"Why don't you take him to the Doman Institute, in Philadelphia?"  They are making interesting new discoveries with people that suffer brain injury over there.

This was exactly what my father was looking for. That's how, when he was going to book our return tickets, fate changed completely its course. And bought, as fast as he could, tickets to Philadelphia, a trip by the looks of it much shorter.  From Philadelphia onwards, the history started belonging to the foundation of Centro de Reabilitação Nossa Senhora da Glória,  with the total adhesion of the Glenn Doman Methods, which became our speciality.

In truth, not only did my father put in the Philadelphia Clinic, he also stayed there at the Clinic with me, so that he could dedicate to learning all that was being done there.

We returned to Brazil in 1958, I got around in a wheelchair, but with movement from the waist up recovered.  My father, Dr. Raymundo Véras, with a decision taken: to create in his country the conditions that he came to know in Philadelphia, until then unknown in Brazil. This made him move with a lot of sacrifice to the United States.  He dedicated 3 years of his life to the task of saving my life, and promised himself that no other parents would have to suffer the same process that he was submitted to.

On the  23rd  of April of 1559, Dr. Raymundo Véras officially founded  Centro de Reabilitação Nossa Senhora da Glória, in which its first years of existence operated in our own house, at  Paissandú Street, in Rio de Janeiro. It was then a small clinic. In the same month, due to a great demand of patients looking for treatment, Dr. Véras rented a house in 19 of February Street, from where he had to move soon there after, so that it could be demolished to make way for a new enlarged street.  He left this house without complaining and even happy to be serving the community, renting, still in Botafogo, two more houses, until finally seeing his dream realized: its own premises. The day of this dream's realization was long waited for. Soon we will see how it all happened.

At first, the Centro de Reabilitação only treated neurological problem sequels, like vascular cerebral accidents (commonly known as strokes) and medullar  traumatisms and other traumatisms, generally produced by road accidents.  Our group of patients was constituted, in almost all its entirety, by adults, being found amongst them generals, brigadiers, ambassadors and businessmen, who received specific daily treatment.

An  Inauguration Plaque being unveiled at
 Centro de Reabilitação N. S. da Glória.

In 1963,the Clinic started to receive children with brain injury, not limiting itself, however, to just this.  On a certain day Dr. Véras was sought after by a friend who had a mongoloid son and asked insistently that his child be accepted amongst the carriers of brain-injury. Since this moment, he started to treat mongolism.  Contrary to the carriers of brain-injury, a mongoloid does not have part of his brain dead, and yes a neurological disorganization, that could be more or less intense.  They are nervous cells badly or poorly organized in the bulb, in the medulla, in  Varolium bridge or in the Cortex, determining the severity in the of the case.

The treatment worked, and Dr. Véras dedicated himself in such a way towards the study of mongolism, that made him in one of the most respected authorities on the subject, the field in which he was a pioneer in the treatment.

By around 1966, the Centro de Reabilitação Nossa Senhora da Glória started to dedicate itself  exclusively towards children with brain-injury, what it still does to this day, with extreme success.

In 1969, the then Governor of the State of Guanabara (today known as State of Rio de Janeiro), Ambassador Negrão de Lima, donated a block of land, in Humaitá Street, number 45, so that our Clinic could be built.  Dr. Hugo Ramos Filho played a relevant role in this achievement, at the time he had a degree in law, a person highly interested in the cause of children with brain-injury. Collaborated also,  professor José Chediack, then Chief of the Civil Cabinet of the State Governor, and Dr. Fernando Abelheira, president of State Foundation of the Minors.  In early 1975 it was finished, then, the Clinic that we have until now.  In the ten years that go from 1958 to 1968,I was a patient and also worked at this Clinic.

When I came back from my treatment in Philadelphia, I hadn't yet finished high school. In 1956, the year that I suffered the accident, I went to school through my own means, during the day. In 1958, I studied at night, driven by my father, who had bought an old Chevrolet, specially to drive me around.  At school, during  the lecture periods, Dr. Raymundo Véras left me there, to look after my own self.  In this occasion, I received and learned what SOLIDARITY was, never having suffered any type of discrimination from my teachers or colleagues.

Since the start, my father oriented me not in the sense of not accepting any concession or discrimination.  The only concession acceptable was to get the from directors of the school that my classroom be on the ground floor.  Raymundo always told me: "If anyone makes it easier for us, we will achieve our objective with less difficulty.  However, if there are difficulties we will achieve them the same way.  It will only take a bit longer".  Thanks to this philosophy, I traveled many times through two Continents and was in all the places that I wanted to go to, including where people in good physical form would not venture into.  Many times, I saw myself in the fourth or fifth floor of buildings that had no lifts.  I went through the edges of the walkways that take you to spectacle of the Iguaçu Falls.  I went in fast boats, accompanied only by a friend who had had a neurological problem similar to mine, finding himself in conditions slightly better than to that of my own. I went  down a snow hill on sledge.  I went to Carnaval Balls and partied the four days, enjoying myself as much as my friends.  Looking back, today, in my 50's, I think that I did many crazy things.  Although, I am sure that it would all repeat itself if I had to start again.

In 1962, I did for the first time the exams for the four Faculties of Medicine that existed in Rio de Janeiro in that time: three in the City of Rio de Janeiro and one in Niterói.  There were days when coinciding exams obliged me to in the morning go to the suburb of Maracana and then from there go to the City of Niterói, in a hurry, to do another exam.  Even with all my effort, I failed in that year.  But I had decided to be a doctor, and said to myself: "Even if it takes the rest of my life trying I will succeed".  In the following year, I went to the Medical Science Faculty in the University of The State of Guanabara, today known as UERJ.

The 6 years of the medical course represented a very difficult period for me.  The faculty demanded fulltime studying. We had classes from 07.30am to 12.00pm and from 1.00pm to 5.00pm, including Saturdays.  I needed to wake up at 5.00am, to leave home at 6.00am in Flamengo and arrive at 7.00am in Vila Isabel.  At lunchtime, I returned home and went back again to the faculty in the least possible amount of time. Many times, the afternoon classes were in Caju or at the Legal Medical Institute.  Other classes prolonged themselves until night time.  How many times didn't I find myself, at 7pm, at the Anatomico, with Jovino or Joval, studying for the exam with a sandwich by my side?   Many cheered me on in my struggle, like for example professor Motta Maia.  Of course there were also professors that created obstacles like Prof Bruno Lobo, to whom today I thank for having forced me unite all my strengths to overcome all the barriers that he imposed upon me, making me verify how much I had in terms of energy reserves.

Having overcome the academic phase, I received my diploma in 1969.  In this occasion, I already  attended patients at the Centro de Reabilitação Nossa Senhora da Glória.

(...) The work which we have developed, following Dr. Doman's doctrine, is that of explaining that brain-injury is in the brain, and that's were it should be treated. Until now, the first part of this proposition is told as obvious, whilst the second is not understood, not being admitted how it could be done.  Most health professionals persist in treating the symptoms as if they were the causes.

Our team, throughout the world (like us, here in Brazil) suffered aggressions from medical societies and from groups of doctors who judged themselves to be the owners of brain-injury, many of whom, thank God, are today giving Lucifer and his associates a lot of work. Unfortunately, these attacks cost my father his life, whom with all his strength and determination, cast himself with life and soul to the arduous task of pioneering in the life of the brain-injured child.

As with any pioneer that values himself,  Dr. Raymundo Véras opened up the way with his own hands, suffered humiliations and felt alone and misunderstood.  He sowed the seed of our work, having to water it with his sweat and his tears, however, he left a wide and smooth path.  In me, he left his example, of which I have tried to guide myself.

(...) In 60's, I had a fast and inconsequent engagement, but, by around 1970, a person who would change my life's direction arrived at this clinic, looking for treatment for her sister who had brain injury. She was 15 years old.  She was a shy child, who demonstrated a very large love and responsibility for her sister.  Soon after, her father died, leaving her family in a difficult situation. Everyone wanted to help her, and some people procured me to expose the problem.  I remember clearly that I spoke with my father on the same night and he decided: "lets put her working with us". For many years she was Dr. Raymundo secretary, from him assimilating a fighting spirit and a noble heart, learning to be loyal to the brain-injured child's cause.  On the 26^th of August 1972 we started to date.  One year later we became engaged and, after one year of engagement, we married.  Always on the 26^th of August.

Jose Carlos, Conceição and Rafaela Véras.

Jose Carlos and Conceição Véras.

(...) In 1958, when Centro de Reabilitação Nossa Senhora da Glória was built it constituted of a team of seven persons.  Besides Dr. Raymundo, we had Dr. Levy, psychologist, Mauricio, physical education teacher that came from Israel, William, also a physical education teacher, aunt Patricia, secretary and treasurer and  o Enio, driver who also helped in rehabilitating whist he wasn't driving any patients around.  That was our first team.  Without counting the help that my mother, sister and I would give where it was needed.

Today, the Centro de Reabilitação Nossa Senhora da Gloria has a staff of more than 60 workers.  In the early days, many times,  Dr. Raymundo needed to sell his car and many other valuable items to be able to keep the pay and other bills up to date.  It's easy being a Philanthropic Institution in Brazil and today, thanks to his efforts, our Institution unite conditions that allow us to have a staff and premises, at the level of my father and family's sacrifices.  It is important to stress that that our Institution started inside our home and with our capital and efforts. However, with a vision towards the future and not being tied up to material matters,  Dr. Raymundo transformed the Centro de Reabilitação Nossa Senhora da Glória since its Statutory of a Philanthropic Civil Entity, in the same manner that the other Institutions that are related to us work, specially, the Institutes in Philadelphia.

Our ideal is to achieve that other Institutions survive beyond us, for we know that life is short, and we must fight to make it useful, following the same philosophy, even when we are no longer here.  My father made me one of his followers, and I have tried to incentive various other people so that so that they will carry on with the work after me.  I am sure that, amongst the people that make up my followers, there are many with the capabilities to continue with our work and keep it within the same philosophy. Maria da Conceição Massa Véras, my wife, responsible in Brazil for the Program of Intelligence, has all the skills to do so.

Glenn Doman and José Carlos Véras.

 (...) Most people don't have a reason to wake up each day, or better: don't know their real mission in life.  We weren't born to wake up, eat, work, have fun, sleep etc.  Each of us has his mission, from the life forms of a single cell to those more physically and intellectually developed. To feel that we are responsible, together with the staff and parents, for making see a  child who didn't see, to make hear one that didn't hear, make walk one that didn't walk, makes all of us rejoice.  That is our biggest reward from work shifts that sometimes exceed 16 hours.

(...) During many years, after my fathers death in 1975, my mother became the Director at the Institution. In 1986 I became the Director and my sister, Lourdinha Véras, became Vice-Director.

On the 22^nd of March, we left with our staff for Curitiba, in the south of Brazil, to attend children,  when we stopped at Aparecida Church to ask for protection from the Virgin Mary and realized that something very important was going to happen, the birth of our daughter, Maria Rafaela Massa Véras, of which, I am sure, was heaven sent, so that this work would have its future safeguarded.  I foresee that she and other members of Raymundo and Lourdes Véras' third generation, with Ronaldo and Rogério, my sisters sons, will assume the responsibility of taking our family's idea forward whatever it may be possible.  I hope also that, in this time, our program will base itself much more in the prevention of the problems than on the treatment of Neurological Sequels.

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