Juan Diego, the paralysed boy who gets his village moving

Álora. The first steps are always hard work. When Juan Diego was born, his parents set off on a path full of joys and difficulties. The first few months of their little boy's life passed normally, but then came the age when he started to move about on his own. "We realised that he wasn't using part of his body," says his father, Juan.

They consulted various pediatricians, but nobody could give them an answer. "Some said it could be his balance, others said he may have suffered damage during birth, but finally a specialist told us about hemiparesis," he says.

After an X-ray and a CAT scan, it was confirmed that little Juan Diego had suffered a perinatal stroke (the period between 22 weeks pregnancy and four weeks after birth, approximately). This had caused a lifelong condition known as hemiparesis, a paralysis of the limbs on one side of the body, in this case on the left. "The first thing we wanted was to find a cure, but then we accepted that there wasn't going to be one," says Juan.

Juan Diego is five years old now, and can move around the house and on short journeys thanks to an adapted walker. Hemiparesis can have different effects, ranging from motor to cognitive, but intellectually he has not been affected and has developed normally. In fact, his father says he is exceptionally mature for his age as a result of his condition: "He knows what is happening to him and makes efforts to overcome it," he says.

He has physiotherapy every day and takes part in numerous activities: he plays football, goes horse riding and swims, because in his case physical exercise is essential for him to remain healthy. "We have tried to motivate him a great deal because it is very important that he is the one who wants to do things," says Juan, with a certain pride.

This brave spirit with which little Juan Diego tackles his daily life has sown a seed which for the past two years has got his village, Álora, moving.

"We were staying at a house in the countryside with some good friends and one of them suggested doing some sort of activity to raise awareness of Juan Diego's condition," says Juan.

After looking at various options, they discovered that there is a council-owned viewing point on Monte Hacho, which was easy to reach. Once they were up at the top, they decided to make a copy of the international hemiparesis icon, and organise a walking route to celebrate the fact that Juan Diego, with effort and support can - and wants to - go walking.

Support for the cause

That was how the Hemiruta began. They spread the word, and the first walk up to Monte Hacho viewing point took place last year. About 450 local people who hadn't heard of hemiparesis took part, as well as adults who live with the condition.

All the funds raised from that edition and the one this year, which took place two weeks ago, are donated to the Hemiweb foundation, a national organisation which develops inclusive projects to make life easier for those affected. This year more than 500 people signed up, but the date had to be changed due to bad weather so just under 400 took part.

Juan Diego's parents and friends plan to continue working on other ways for youngsters like their son to be able to take part in more activities, in collaboration with other people who have already joined the Hemiruta cause.