In October, I had a visit that made me very happy. For those who don’t know, El Convidat (“The Guest” in English) is an interview program on TV3, the main TV channel in Catalonia, where the host – a Catalan journalist, Albert Om – is invited to spend a weekend at the home of a famous personality in Catalonia.
This time, El Convidat, Albert Om, came to my house, although not to spend the weekend. Obviously not, hahaha. The reason for the visit was to interview me for the program Islàndia, where Albert Om dedicates himself to getting to know stories of all kinds of people.
His interest in interviewing me was because my book had just been published. His personal treatment was very friendly and close, but he acted with great professionalism during the interview. I say this because in a job it is important to separate the personal from the professional.
Once the microphones were on, Albert, with some parts of the book underlined, began to ask questions in his style. I value this way of conducting the interview a lot because it says a lot about a professional.
In addition, the questions were direct and with a great interest in knowing more in-depth about my story and asking why I see things the way I do. He also stopped frequently to let me drink water or rest if needed.
In short, the result of the interview was very good, so much so that for me it is the best interview I have ever had. Once the interview was over, we chatted with him, my parents, and some of my siblings who also liked El Convidat (The Guest) from TV3 and Islàndia from RAC1.
Next, I share the full interview with you. It’s in Catalan, but below you can see a small summary.
Updated on 16-11-2020 19:50
Islàndia
“I’m happy, I don’t want euthanasia”
Xavi Argemí has Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a terminal degenerative disease.
Xavi Argemí is 25 years old, from Sabadell, studies multimedia at UOC and hasn’t left his house since last summer because he has an incurable degenerative disease, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, which makes any cold he catches very complicated. What he wants is to enjoy the time he has left, and to do so he has these pillars: family, friends, spiritual support, medicine, and palliative care.
“Drinking a glass of water, for me, is already a lot.” “I don’t think about how much time I have left.” “Pau Donés gave a very good example and he wasn’t a believer.”
Xavi has just published a book, with Rosa dels Vents, called Learning to Die to be Able to Live, which is exactly what he has had to do: learn to die to be able to live.
He, who has death so close, wants to explain how he sees life. He doesn’t want euthanasia, he wants to live until the last second he can. He believes that people who are about to die need company and not help to end their lives. It is a different perspective, which is worth listening to and respecting, even if it is different from that of many people.
“I’m happy, I don’t want euthanasia.” “Euthanasia makes us sick people feel like a burden to society.” “I imagine heaven as the ultimate happiness.”
Albert Om went to meet him in Matadepera. Listen to the conversation they had on Islàndia.