”Life is for the brave
This well-known phrase from the master of meditation, Osho, is applied with full force in Quique Medina, a music journalist based in Valencia who one day decided he no longer wanted to suffer any more pain and asked his doctor to amputate his right leg.
It is a 58-minute documentary film that has had a big international impact, in which Quique documents the decision process, the operation and the subsequent recovery.
We found the documentary extraordinary because of Quique’s bravery, who opted for amputation after 20 years of terrible pain and a multitude of treatments that did not work. It was made together with a specialised documentary producer, seeking the complicity of the viewer, to make them see the intimacy of a decision of this kind. In the words of Quique, “we did not want to make anything sensationalist, but on the other hand it had to be real”.
This reality even tricked us because of the level-headedness with which Quique faced the entire process. For the director it was somewhat unbelievable and could make the viewer think that there was some artificiality in the story. But it wasn’t like that, it was simply courage and the will to live.
The film has “totally unexpected” moments and ramifications along the way, as mentioned by its director, Antuñano. The story that emerged abruptly, knowing that he wanted to film the process, did not find a clear ending either because new adventures were binding together. These included trips through Spain, both for family and work, a journey across the open sea months after the amputation, changes in his rehabilitation process, the birth of his son and the unusual Icelandic connection.
Stories like Quique’s are what make us continue progressing in our mission as a company and strive every day to achieve technically perfect products, like our porous coatings.
You can watch his TED talk about this here.
