The show must go on, even when the face doesn’t cooperate
Life has thrown several complicated scripts at Juan Carlos Nava in recent times. At 57 years old, the man who for four decades has made us laugh as ‘El Borrego’, is recovering from facial paralysis that took him by surprise while he was sleeping.
“The day before a show I was in the room, I took a nap and when I woke up, I woke up like this,”
he told the “Hoy” program. Imagine: a man whose work tool is his expression, waking up with half his face still. The psychological blow is as strong as the physical one.
But this opportunistic virus—as he himself calls it—did not come alone. First it was herpes that took advantage of his low defenses due to stress. Then, an emergency hospitalization for kidney stones. A true perfect storm of complications.
The resilience of a veteran comedian
The incredible thing is that Nava has not lowered the curtain. He continues with physical therapies and treatments, his doctor assures him that he will recover, and he is already directing the scene for a new project. Work is your therapy.
“Above all what we do, giving comedy shows and then like that, my face falls with shame,”
He confessed with that brutal honesty that characterizes good comedians. It’s complicated, he admitted, but we have to move forward.
That philosophy summarizes his career: 40 years as host, actor, announcer and producer of the irreverent “Guerra de Jokes”, participations in “LOL”, soap operas and films. Four decades teaching us that humor is resistance.
Now he gives us another lesson: how to face the most unexpected blows with dignity—and without losing pace. The show goes on, even when the body seems to want to sabotage it.
