“My mother died because there was no ventilator”

Jthe aquim Nicolau was the most recent guest of Daniel Oliveira, in the program “High Definition”, SIC, last Saturday, November 7. During the conversation with the host, the actor ended up remembering his mother's death. At the time, there was wax of 20 years, remember, it was “40 and such years”.

“ She had an outside problem that caused him a disease. [...] It was an amputation. It's an amputation. Even if we have a rational understanding of life, even if we have the notion of things, it is an amputation. Because it wouldn't be the fact that she was here that maybe I'd be more present. Nope. It's the fact that she's not here. If she was here, maybe she wouldn't always be around her. There's one complex thing, it's just not. And this is an amputation”, the actor who is part of the cast of the soap opera “Destino Maior” was released.

“My mother had a breathing problem, because it had to do with some chemicals she accidentally inhaled,” she explained. “My mother, as amazing as it seems, died because there was no ventilator,” she then told. 

“There was a young boy – and it is right that he was entitled, it is not right that there were no more fans – who had a motorcycle accident and was needed a ventilator. Of course, it always protects the younger life and that is the right that is correct, but the truth is that there were no more fans available at the hospital of Castelo Branco where my mother went ", detailed yet. 

“ When it was the Covid-19 pandemic it was realized the great problem that Portugal had, was amputated of necessary hospital equipment ", commented and lamented. 

“ It was my first encounter with the issue of death. And I'm extremely rational about death. [...] But the truth is, it was my first shock to something where you're standing. Not anymore. It is a void, an abyss ", He also confessed when talking about the mother's departure. 

The woman and mother of children and their life currently divided between Lisbon and the Azores

Joaquim Nicolau also spoke of his family, having spoken of his wife, his companion for more than 30 years. “I feel like I have a companion, mother of my children, and a friend I share, I love. We often get mad at each other, which is normal. But we share something that is valid and honest, and I like it very much.”

Asked about the fact that he currently divided his life between Lisbon and the Azores, the actor explained: “When the children were in college they lived in Lisbon to facilitate their lives, then she as a teacher, embraced a project in the Azores, and since she is Azorean and her mother benefits from being closer to each other, she said it was okay. And let us reconcile.”

“It comes [to Lisbon] and I when I can [go to the Azores]. We make our lives like this now. Doesn't mean it's forever, but it's been going well. And she has a bastard son there, my son, who she took care of, who is our dog. I have a dog that's a passion. I found him lost. [...] That's our boy. It is something that unites us too – beyond children and grandchildren. A living being like a dog can help bring people together more,” he said. 

About managing distance, Joaquim Nicolau stressed that “they talk every day”. “We share all this and it’s very healthy. I don’t complain.”

Father of Diogo and André, Daniel Oliveira asked the actor about the children. Specifically retreating to Diogo's birth, Joaquim Nicolau said: “There was a child there and I thought: It's me. I was fascinated to see him. This is my extension. It's the poetic side of things. I'm my father's extension, my extension is my son, my son's extension is my grandson... If we lose that, we lose a lot. We have to feed it.”

The actor was also displeased with the lack of support for parents and fathers. “Today it is a huge difficulty to have children. Helping to be a parent is very important. Sometimes I am outraged that society, in this case run by governments, our state, no longer cares about us.”

Joaquim Nicolau is already a grandfather of a boy who is the son of Diogo. “I was so happy about it. Not only for my grandson, my son and my daughter-in-law, but when I saw my partner, my wife with such a nice smile looking at her grandson and wanting to have a grandson... I was glad to see her happy.”