JM
“Jean is a pure contradiction. Ever since he was little, life has been putting limits on him, but he has never allowed those limits to stop him. Poliomyelitis is usually invalidating. Jean’s diagnosis came before he was aware of what it
meant, and therefore never took his life for granted. He looked at Polio out of the corner of his eye, with a gesture that said: “if this storm gets me
wet, then I’ll have to look for another umbrella.” He was never to stand on his own two feet, but he stood. He was never to walk, but he walked.
He was to reach an unsurpassable limit, but he proved that limit wrong by playing soccer, riding a bicycle, and riding horses, among many other things. Life challenged him endlessly. Instead of complaining, Jean chased goals that always seemed
more and more unattainable. He reached goals literally as high as the Himalayas. It is good to have people like Jean around. Because when one encounters difficulties, it is easy to give up. The point where most people would usually quit is Jean’s starting line.
Where most people would throw in the towel, Jean asks to be signed up. The risk, although most may not know it, is that one can become addicted to transgression. If
you already braced the Himalayas, why not the moon? If you learned to perform high jumps on horseback, why not train sharks? If you already trained in marathons, why not compete in ten Iron Man races?
Whenever met with a limit, Jean pulverizes it.
He is not a comic book superhero, nor does he wear a cape to fly. He is a normal man, but not at all normal in his belief that borders are for crossing over and that walls—those that Donald Trump promotes—are made to be torn down. Although he did not have the help of his legs, he always chose to try hard in life. Each year
presented new challenges, another checkpoint to pass. He was not foolish, and he asked for help. From a young age he found sources of help in his
parents, and later in his wife and children, and now his friends, collaborators, trainers, and coaches of all kinds. He also found support in all those who helped prepare him to narrate his invaluable experience for large audiences everywhere. They provided him with tools so that he would be able to share his story and infect others with his drive. All of that is present in the exceptional material delivered in this biographical book. This group of supporters helped Jean climb, took photos, filmed, and wrote the story. We are all fortunate; for this. In the next feat, Jean will probably climb alone, take selfies, film
with a drone, and learn to write like a professional and even write his prologue. Maybe he suspects that this could be his limit.”
Miguel Clariá
