Two years ago, Javier Muñoz He was in the ICU of a hospital. He was in a coma for two months, and another 40 days unable to move or speak, for acquired brain damage due to a brutal motorcycle accident. After many Hard rehabilitation monthstoday you can say that he has recovered his life and is so grateful for it, he is so aware of the second opportunity that life has given him, that he has decided to return that gratitude in the form of a foundation.
Almost a year ago he launched live twice, an entity with which Help families of people with acquired brain damagean aid that translates into logistics and psychological advice and help in the face of the difficulties that are facing realities such as the one that their own family lived just over two years ago.
What happened after the motorcycle accident that changed your life?In November 2022 I had an accident that had me two months in a coma and 100 days in the ICU and with several operations too. I was without speaking, without eating, without walking … That is, I have had to learn everything from zero. It has been a hard and long rehabilitation, but well, in the end I feel lucky and graceful for being here, and that is one of the reasons why I decided to mount the Foundation, to help all those families who have not had the same fate I have had. My father is neurosurgeon, so he knew perfectly at all times all the risks.
How was your process.After being at the UCI of La Paz, I spent three weeks on the floor, then two months at the Blessed Hospital, which was where I started walking, eating, talking … and after those two months, from home, I was In CEADAC, the State Center for Cerebral Damage acquired, in outpatient regime. That was where I was also continuing with rehabilitation for four months.
When and why did you decide to create the LIV Foundation twice?For several reasons. First, as I said, for feeling grateful and trying to help those who come behind with me with my experience, that of my family and that of all the people who have helped me in the process. There are many, but I wanted to focus on the foundation on families, because in the end, the patient is more accompanied and the family not so much, and for the patient it is also very important that the family is also well, and I tell you From my patient point of view.
The patient is very accompanied, and the family not so much, and for the patient it is very important that the family is also well
What was the main lack that you found out of the hospital?The shortcomings we find are precisely those that we want to cover in the foundation. Mainly, to solve all this uncertainty that families have, such as what centers there is, what center is the best for me, for my family member, all the paperwork to be done, how to request it. We receive many calls and we see that just by saying ‘hey, look. We have gone through something similar, we are here for what you need. ‘ Just listening to that, the level of anxiety of these families falls.
What services do you have?In addition to advice, accompaniment, there are another series of things that are not addressed. For example, my parents had to come six months of Vigo, because I am from Vigo, Madrid and the cost of accommodation is very high and there are people who cannot even be close to their family. That is one of the things we are also helping, in accommodation for families. Also, when I had to go to the center daily, I saw that there was the problem of adapted, specialized transport … There were people who did not get on time, that therapies were lost. Therefore, we also have an agreement with a specialized company and we also give that transport. And well, the last agreement we have is with Fudepi, to give psychological support to families.
How can you access them?They can call us by phone, write to us on the web, for our social networks … we are available 24 hours. For me it is a pride to be able to help, return the fate that I have had, so the Foundation for me already makes sense to have helped a single family, and in the time we have been there have already been more than 30.
From Fedace, the Spanish Federation of acquired brain damage, always emphasizes that, thanks to medicine, many people with DCA survive have been achieved, but that the pending subject is to give quality of life to the surviving people. What do you think about it?I totally agree, because I have been lucky enough to be in the best centers, but my feeling is that there are many means to save your life and much less in the rehabilitation part. In Spain, compared to other countries of the European Union, much less focus on that period, and to improve the quality of life of those who survive. In that, there is a lot of margin of improvement, sincerely. To improve it, I think there should be more awareness of the existence of these realities. People, until the situation is seen, does not understand the reality there is, all the difficulties there are. And if people are not aware of that reality, there will be no funds to solve it.
![Photograph: Sergio García Carrasco[[[PREVISIONES 20M]]]Theme: II DCA Olympics on the occasion of the day of acquired brain damage (October 26).](https://imagenes.20minutos.es/uploads/imagenes/2024/10/25/fotografo-sergio-garcia-carrasco-previsiones-20m-tema-ii-dca-olimpiadas-con-motivo-del-dia-del-dano-cerebral-adquirido-26-octubre-16.jpeg)
If you had to put a challenge, a great goal that you would like to get with the Foundation, what would it be?Well, the truth is simply to continue accompanying families, and that all those needs that we can detect that we can solve them, helping to mitigate them. We want to be close to families, listen to them and see what are the needs to try to contribute our grain of sand.
And you, have you managed to recover 100% your life before the accident?Luckily I had ended my rehabilitation process for months, but it is true that I try to take care of myself. The truth is, and that is why I say it all the time, I am aware that I have been very lucky because I have been able to recover my life. I have a company of 35 workers in Madrid, furtive, dedicated to doing hotel projects. I created the company in 2020, in the middle of the pandemic, with all the hotels in the world closed, and, well, because the company survived that I was not a year. I am very proud of everything we have achieved, what they have achieved, and yes, I have been lucky and because I could recover my previous life.
Finally, what would you say to a person who, right now, is waking up in an ICU, as it happened to you two years ago, and that he cannot speak, walk … that he has a whole process of hard recovery ahead?What served me, which does not mean that it is universal, was trying not See what I could do the next day to recover. It helped me to be in the day, at present. I know it’s difficult, much more to do it than to say it, but it’s what helped me move on. And let yourself be guided by doctors and therapists, trust them. And accept, that it is another complicated, but very important part, because if you do not accept what happened to you, you do not do your best to get ahead. I was just two years ago in the ICU.
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