Spanish reality show winner shares message of life

Madrid, Spain, Dec 6, 2010 / 16:02 pm

Spanish recording artist and reality show winner Miriam Fernandez was born with cerebral palsy and uses a walker to get from place to place.  At the age of 20,  she is using her talents to defend life and communicate a message of faith.  “God doesn’t give us anything that we can’t handle,” she says.

Fernandez spoke with the Spanish daily, La Razon on Nov. 30 and revealed the source of her amazing strength. “In my life, I have gone through tough things, such as the deaths of my father and my brother.  There were times when I asked God 'why?' But after all the times of darkness I have always seen a light, I always see that they serve some purpose, and that God doesn’t give us anything we can’t handle,” she said.

Two years after winning a Spanish reality show, Miriam was finally able to fulfill her life-long dream of recording a CD, “Bailando bajo la lluvia” (Dancing Under the Rain). “We all have gifts with which we can serve others,” she said. “On my CD I sing, ‘There is always something better on the horizon.’  There are times when I say, ‘God, I put this matter into your hands,’ and that gives me strength.  God is there, and he doesn’t will evil for anyone.  In our society and in our times we need to keep believing,” the singer stated.

Miriam is Catholic and is proud of the education she received in Catholic schools. She was raised in a large family that supported her in every sense.  “The doctors said that I would not be able to walk at age 15, that I would only be able to crawl, but today I walk with the help of a walker,” she said. Fernandez offered thanks to her biological mother for defending her life. 

Her mother ignored those who suggested she undergo an abortion, and instead put her daughter up for adoption. 

In her career as a singer, Miriam has been criticized by the media for her support for pro-life causes. “I get negative comments on the social networking sites.  ‘You shouldn’t have such a harsh stance,’ they tell me.  But defending life is a human issue, not a political one.  I say, ‘no to abortion,’ but I say even more, ‘yes to life.’ That may close some doors for me, but it may open others,” she said.