A LIFE CHANGING MIRACLE
Leonel A. has been with Senior Life Insurance Company since 2013. He didn’t start his career as an agent with Senior Life, but shares that Senior Life is the only place for him now. He says, “I started with a different company, and while I was with this company, I did not have any tools whatsoever with them. Every Saturday I would go to church first thing in the morning to look for customers. I was trying my best, and a few weeks later, my friend referred me to another company. That’s where I got started and stayed there for close to three years. However, I was not completely satisfied because I started with a 50% contract. I didn’t know much about Senior Life, but every time someone with knowledge about Senior Life would talk about them, I stood there quietly listening until 2013. At that time, Doug B. and a few other people made the transition to Senior Life, and I ended up following them. And that’s how I got to where I am now.” He goes on to explain how he ended up in the insurance industry. Leonel A. says, “This is something I used to do in college years ago, but it wasn’t something that I thought I’d be doing all my life. My background was in pharmacy. But in 1997, I had a brain tumor and wasn’t able to finish my last semester. When a doctor says you have a 20% chance to die and an 80% chance to be completely paralyzed, it felt like I was defeated. But being who I am, I never take no for an answer. So, my background was in pharmacy, but that’s when I made the switch. When I moved to Florida, I decided to pursue insurance.” Leonel A. also expresses how much more success he has at Senior Life compared to his time with other companies.
“At the other company I was doing okay, but they don’t give you exactly what you deserve. When I came to Senior Life Insurance Company, it was a big change. Yes, at the beginning it was not automatic. When I first started, I was in a deep hole financially. But I can tell you, a few years later, Senior Life changed my life. My credit score is so much higher, and I don’t owe anybody money. So, I think Senior Life is the place to be.”
In 1997, Leonel A. found out about his brain tumor, which changed his outlook on life. He says, “I’ll never forget that day. Two days before I found out, I was involved in a car accident. I was sitting in the front and I hit my head during the accident. The next thing I knew, I woke up and I was in the hospital.
The next morning when I really knew where I was, I told them I had to call my wife to come pick me up. That was a very stressful day. But at that time, I thought it was nothing because the doctor only prescribed me Tylenol for pain, and I didn’t pay much attention to it. But a few weeks later, I felt that there was a small bump on my head. I thought it was just a minor thing, but it kept growing and finally the doctor sent me to see a specialist. When I finally met the specialist, they said that the bump did not come from the accident. The accident made the bump appear faster, but it had been growing for a very long time. From April to May, that bump became so big that I couldn’t go outside. It had become like a deformity. It brought me down a lot, and I was always in pain. It caused me to become someone with no patience. I had my surgery in 1997 and thank God, whatever it was, I survived, so I think God loves me and I love him too. There’s a purpose for me, and that’s why I’m thankful for every day that I get to go to work.” Even though Leonel A. survived his brain surgery in 1997, his doctor warned that he may have to face his tumor again in the future. He explains, “The doctor said that 20 years later there was a possibility that it could come back because they didn’t remove everything. So, in 2018, when I saw the lumps coming back, I was scared. This time they did it with laser surgery, so that was the easiest part. I think it’s over now, and with the health insurance that I have with Senior Life, I had the opportunity to go to New York to see my specialist and follow through with the surgery again and get it taken care of. It was a blessing again.” Leonel A. talks about the importance of having health insurance. He says, “It’s very important that I have this health insurance, because you never know. You might be healthy today, but you never know what will happen.” Even though Leonel A. has been through a lot, he never loses sight of what’s important to him.
“God made me who I am, and that’s why I say I’m grateful every day. Not only for doing what I do as an insurance agent, but for everything.”
Leonel A. shares that Ron Powell’s story is a great motivator for him. He says, “When I came to Senior Life, and I met Ron for the first time, it was inspirational. This is something that every day I carry with me. I fought my way through life, and yes that was a big deal, but when I see Ron and I see myself, I think ‘No more, nothing happened.’ Whatever they expected, the expectations become the person for me. But when I met Ron, I didn’t think that. In my heart, and I said ‘Look at what he’s been through, and still he’s out every day working. What would be my excuse?’ I carry that thought with me every day. If Ron can do it, why not me? Every day, I go out and I listen to his advice. He started at a young age, so there’s no excuse for me. Because in life, you can get whatever you want as long as you want it. And when you want something, you have to be committed. You have to be consistent. You also have to humble yourself and realize that you don’t know everything. When I started with Senior Life, I thought I knew everything, but no, I had to learn to sit back and start over. Insurance is one thing, but final expense insurance is a completely different thing, and I love it because it’s so simple.”
