Teodoro Uberreich (photo) lives in the seaside city of Ilhabela, in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. Téo, as he is better known, graduated in Pharmacy and Biochemistry and worked for many years for a top pharmaceutical company. He is an active member of the Spiritist Movement, volunteering as a counsellor and public speaker at O Timoneiro (The Helmsman) Spiritist Group in Ilhabela. As a child, he contracted polio and the virus left him with permanent disabilities. In the following interview, he shares his experiences in his professional field and in Spiritism and speaks about resilience and how to overcome life’s challenges with the help of Spiritism. 

When and how did you become a Spiritist?

I became a Spiritist in 1970. I was going through a depression at the time, even though I had already achieved one of my main goals in life and worked as manager for a multinational pharmaceutical company. I wasn’t religious at all then. I was eventually introduced to Spiritism by someone who worked with me and took me for the first time to Seara Bendita, a Spiritist Centre in the state capital, São Paulo, where I lived. I received healing and eventually my depression went and my faith strengthened. I joined their group as a volunteer and gave counselling to people in need for about 20 years, before retiring and moving with my family to the seaside, where I joined O Timoneiro Spiritist Group. It’s important to stress that I come from a Jewish family and respect and admire their religious tradition. I have learned a great deal from my parents and maternal grandparents. My acceptance of Spiritism was easier because Judaism is a monotheistic religion and its history developed in the same ambience where Jesus preached his faith. Most of my paternal ancestors lived in Europe in the first half of the 20th Century and died in concentration camps in Germany. My parents, gladly, managed to emigrate to Brazil. 

Which aspect of Spiritism attracts you the most?

“Know the Truth and the Truth will set you free.” Because of my family background, when I found the Teachings of Jesus I took another direction in life. The fact that Spiritism unites science and religion, as explained by Kardec, made it easier for me to embrace it because of my professional formation in the scientific area.

You are now over 80 years old and you have lived most of your life with the physical consequences of polio. What lessons can young people learn from your experience?

My experience with polio led, first of all, to accepting its consequences. And eventually I learned to live well with the disease and to be grateful for it, as it became clear that it was a wakeup call for me to exercise resilience. It gave me the strength to face other challenges. I became a Spiritist speaker focusing mainly on the issue of resilience and the overcoming of problems. I strived to send that message particularly to insecure young people, who especially in our days, with so many quick social changes, struggle to find which path to follow. There’s a great deal of insecurity around and I try more and more to share my personal experience with others, making a concerted effort not to proselytise. Spiritism has played an important role in that process and its teachings are an essential part of my life. I still have a lot to learn from Spiritism. 

Why did you get interested in Pharmacy?

I was always interested in Biology and was determined to do a degree in either Pharmacy and Biochemistry or Medicine. It became clear to me that my physical limitations would play a key role in my choice of course and career. I picked Pharmacy-Biochemistry and it eventually became clear that I had made the right decision. 

What would you like to say about your professional experience?

My work in the biomedical sciences helped me throughout my life. I worked in one of the world’s biggest pharmaceutical companies and was given an award (Cândido Fontoura) as one of the professionals who contributed the most for the development of the pharmaceutical industry in Brazil. Because of the unfortunate pandemic the world is going through, there have been more opportunities for me to share and disseminate some of the knowledge that I have in that field. 

How did you come up with the idea of having your own YouTube channel? 

The main reason is the coronavirus pandemic. A new illness would naturally lead to disagreements, even among scientists and, believe it or not, politicians, about symptoms, the best treatments etc. That encouraged me to create a channel, “A Vida tem Remédio” (There's a cure for life), so I could share what I knew, even though I wasn’t a frontline worker. In the channel, I try to explain the basic principles and clear everyone’s doubts in an accessible manner. 

Is there anything else you would like to add?

From all the experiences that I have shared with you here, I believe that I’m a winner, a happy person. My advice is: believe in your dreams and go ahead and try to make them a reality. You are capable of doing it! You can do it! I would also like to say that we are not going “simply” through an epidemic. We have, instead, received a message from higher up to pay more attention to our brothers and sisters and to the impact that our unhinged liberty has had on nature, spreading all sorts of suffering and pain across the planet. It’s up to us now to do something about it and change this situation. 

Interviewee’s note: 

You can find below links to previous interviews I did with Teodoro (in Portuguese):

Superação na poliomielite (Overcoming polio) - Téo Uberreich – To access, click here - 1

Vacinas, ciência, religião (Vaccines, science and religion) - Téo Uberreich – To access, click here -2