A life shattered by an administrative error

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In the Asterix and Obelix album The Twelve Tasks of Asterix, published in 1976, the two intrepid Gauls must manage to leave the House that Drives You Crazy with an A-38 certificate. Wandering from one counter to the next, collecting a scrap of information at each stage that is invariably corrected or denied at the next, they almost lose their minds. It's a thinly disguised caricature of the gasworks that are government departments, with their relentless procedures, uninterested or incompetent staff and ability to complicate the slightest procedure. It's similar to what happened to Ronaldo (first name changed by the editors), but with a less happy ending than the two moustachioed men.

It was in 2004 that a long nightmare began for Ronaldo, who agreed to give his account to the Journal on condition of anonymity. He was not yet 40 when, as sector manager in a metal construction company, he was almost crushed by a load. On the face of it, there was nothing wrong with him, but "in the evening I didn't feel well, my back was aching and I felt dizzy", he recalls. "I went to emergency at Ettelbruck hospital. The doctor who examined me thought I had ENT crystals, but when he saw that wasn't the case, he insisted that I be admitted for tests. After a week, an MRI scan of my back revealed three cervical hernias and back compression. The muscles in my shoulder blades were torn Later, the tendons in his shoulders also failed. Despite several operations, he never recovered his full abilities.