This time last year Mexico Alejandra Ayala was on her way back to Tijuana for an extended (and unintentionally long) stay in Glasgow, Scotland.
Desperate to go home, but still to survive, Ayala fought Hannah Rankin on May 13, and then, after suffering a brain bleed, she found herself battling a much larger opponent in the following hours, days and weeks.
That war, as it often happens, has now been protracted. No longer simply hours, days and weeks, it’s a battle that will last months and soon will be years. However, Ayala, a woman who was enlightened and full of life for having deceived death, managed to smile.
“I am quite happy,” she said boxing news from her home in Tijuana. “Since coming back and having a second chance in my life, overall I am very happy. Even with all the sometimes stressful things going on, I still feel very fortunate.
“I am happy to be with my husband, family and dog. I also went back to my gym. Not every day and only for a limited time, but doing it also makes me very happy.”
One suspected that it took a lot of work to defeat Ayala. The 34-year-old’s ability to recall details, names and locations may have influenced what happened to her last year, but her ability to grasp perspective and focus on What’s important in her life is only increasing.
“I did a lot of talk therapy,” she said. “My first language is English since I was 5 years old so my English speaking ability has improved rapidly. But my Spanish is not what it used to be. I am still working on it. They calculated maybe six more months, which is good because they originally said it would take two years.
“Before this incident, I had a YouTube channel to talk about fights and analyze them but I can’t do it again because I have a hard time remembering the names. Names are the hardest thing for me to remember. I’ll know in my head who I’m talking about, but I won’t be able to say their names.”
Ayala holds up the Boxing News
Listen to her, you would never know 12 months ago Ayala had to suffer so much in a foreign country. However, it is of course very easy, when listening to her on the phone, and with her so far away, to fool oneself into thinking that everything is rosy and back to normal. The truth is, everyday, Ayala’s life, especially in recent times, becomes challenging and nowhere is it as easy as she says.
She explained: “When I left Glasgow, I was told that I did not have anything in mind that could have caused the epileptic spasms I have been suffering from recently. “I didn’t have it until about September last year. Basically, I got really dizzy and started hearing everything. But I did not fall. So I contacted my neurologist here and we did a lot of research.
“Just last month I had another attack and this time I do fall down. I’m having lunch with my husband, which is fine, but it’s never happened to me before and so we’re all pretty scared. We went to the doctor and he gave me research. We contacted my doctor in Glasgow and he said it’s not common but it happens sometimes. Right now, I’m working with a doctor who has prescribed me some medications, but I’ve been told this problem can last two to three years.
“The problem is, we live alone. My family doesn’t live in Tijuana with me. My husband’s mother and brother live here but not with us. So when he’s working and I’m alone, that’s a problem. The other problem is that I want to go back to work, at least a little bit, but now it seems like six months from now I can do that.”
In addition to being unable to work, Ayala has improved physically, but still cannot practice as she wants. “I can’t work out,” she says, “because it involves all the head movements, and I can’t run because it involves head movement. I can only do basic training. My head hurt a bit for a while so I needed to sit down and give myself a break.”
Wary of both the headaches and unnecessary stress that apply to that area, Ayala is only aware that the issue with the British Boxing Control Board (BBBC) is hardly helping matters like So. However, since leaving Glasgow last June, she has tried, so far unsuccessfully, to earn from the Board some insurance money only to feel frustrated, as well as feeling forgotten.
“During my time in Glasgow, the people who helped me told me that once I left the country the BBCC wouldn’t care about me,” Ayala said. “I haven’t contacted the BBC since then, but my dad has. Now that I was able to read and understand, he sent me some messages, and basically, when we got back, they said they would look into it. Then, maybe six months later, my dad contacted them to ask what was going on. They asked us to send them all the research that I had done so my dad sent them. We waited a little longer and then they sent us not angry texts but messages that were basically telling us, ‘When we know, we’ll let you know. Stop texting us.’
“They told us that if I died, it would be easier for them to deposit the £50,000. But since I survived and because I am doing well, it will be even less. For me, that was a bit of a pain. If that’s their ideal it’s not okay.
“After a year, my dad texted them again and they asked us to report back on my situation. He sent them details of the contraction I had in May and they said in six weeks they would let us know.”
So for now, Ayala could do nothing but wait.
Robert Smith, General Secretary of the Board of Directors, said: “BBBC Headquarters was in constant contact with Alejandra’s father, Vince, and advised on the insurance process, which was very time consuming. boxing news on Monday (June 26). “Mr Ayala has been informed that the Board’s insurer is reviewing all medical documents along with their medical consultant for the possibility of a claim and we are awaiting a decision. determine if she is covered for the type of injury received. This is a normal procedure.
“We understand that Alejandra is not covered by her home commission.”
Of course, as the wait gets longer, the bills will pile up.
“I’ve probably spent about $30,000 so far on recovery,” Ayala revealed. “We don’t have the best neurologist and therapist in Tijuana, so I had to go to Mexico City to do it. I couldn’t fly alone, so my husband had to fly with me, and he had to take time off work to do it. He’s a cop, which means it’s very hard for him to do that. I thought I’d go back to work now – maybe do some matchmaking, or work on the committee – but because of my seizures I won’t be able to do it for a while.
“I don’t know what to do now. I’m feeling frustrated. I’m not even asking for much. If they could help me a little, it would mean a lot. I just want to pay off my debts and keep getting better.”
As for the concept of a boxer and their family receiving compensation in the event of a death, Ayala greeted it with a smile. She does it because it is better to laugh than to cry. “If I died in Glasgow,” she said, “my parents wouldn’t be interested in receiving the money.”
Ayala in the gym
