Juancho (quadriplegic) is passionate about the sea, despite having suffered a very serious accident on his 30th birthday while surfing at Punta Colorada. The accident caused a severe spinal injury. Now, 11 years have passed and this Uruguayan hasn't traded in his waves.
"I decided I wasn't going to stop just because I was in a wheelchair," explains Juancho. "So I decided to surf Cabo Polonio again, the most beautiful place in all of Uruguay. It was very difficult, but with lots of help from my friends I was able to ride a few waves and I haven't stopped since." And he really hasn't stopped. One day he was watching an international surfing championship and realised that one of the participants was in a wheelchair and used a motorised surfboard. Juancho got excited and didn't stop until he got one for himself. "From then on, I started surfing much more regularly and all over the place: Uruguay, Spain, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, United States, Brazil, etc." Because, as he says, "Surfing makes me happy," although he has to be careful not to freeze in the water, as he can't regulate his body temperature. Last year, Juancho represented Uruguay at the first World Adaptive Surfing Championsip, held in California, and took the bronze medal in the Assist category.
Juancho, bronze medal winner at the first World Adaptive Surfing Championship, held in California.
This experience has given rise to an autobiographical book entitled "El diario de Juan" (Juan's diary), in which he tells how he managed to recover emotionally. In addition, he has also presented a documentary that shows the Uruguayan's journey to return to the waves.
But Juancho's life isn't all about surfing. He currently manages his own farm, plays wheelchair rugby, rides horses with the saddle designed specially by his mother, and collaborates with Fundación Teletón, sharing his experience with children and teenagers. In his daily life, he alternates between healthy physical exercise, which allows him to use his wheelchair, and adapted sports using a BATEC ELECTRIC handbike. Because Juancho has used one of our handbikes for seven years now, since his sister saw one while strolling around Barcelona. "It's an excellent product: easy-to-use, long battery life, easy to transport and to connect and disconnect from a wheelchair, etc.". A great ally in striking a balance between daily rehabilitation and the comfort of getting around with an electric powered add-on for wheelchairs.
