When you meet Rocío Fumanal, all your problems vanish. She radiates hope and makes your complaints disappear. This 22 year old girl manages to transmit a new energy in your life. She is an example of strength. Rocio's destiny changed completely after she was involved in a car accident when she was on her way to work as a monitor at a summer youth camp. She says that her mother, from heaven, saved her life. "I felt her embrace. My mother gave me a second chance to live, and I know that now I live for both of us".
After eight months in the paraplegic hospital in Toledo, he has returned home with his father and his three sisters, his great supporters. And his wheelchair. In the hospital she spread optimism and vitality to her colleagues. "One girl came in with marrow cancer, we became like sisters. Before she died, she was baptized, confirmed and received Communion. God put me at her side," says Rocío.
Because for Rocío Fumanal, "hope is the last thing to be lost. That's what I always told my colleagues at the hospital, my other big family. I was afraid to get out of there, to face life. But I am here for whatever God wants.
At the hospital she witnessed to her faith and told everyone about the CARF Foundation and the work it does for diocesan priests and for seminarians and vocations from all continents. "I got to know the CARF Foundation on the trip it organizes to Rome - how important it is that priests receive a good formation!" says Rocío.
Rocío Fumanal is, since then, a young benefactor of the CARF Foundation. She is aware that, despite being paraplegic in her legs, she has a mission to fulfill. "As Catholics, we know that God has a story for everyone. He sends us potholes to trust Him and to be an example."
He had a hard time, he does not deny it, he rebelled, he shaved his hair.... "When the van overturned, it took them an hour to get me out. I suffered a lot. You never get over the fact that before I could walk and now I can't. But I've regained my strength. But I have regained my enthusiasm and strength to resume my studies in Early Childhood Education and learn sign language. I need the chair for my backside, but not for my head," she jokes. She also plays tennis, practices handbike and is going to try paddle tennis.
Although she has been told that her disability is irreversible, she dreams of a miracle. "God is going to grant me something great," and she smiles, because Rocío's purpose is to be seen with a good face. In the summer she walked the Camino de Santiago with a group of friends from the Order of Malta. She has no intention of giving up. She promises: Rocío Fumanal's word.
Marta Santín, Journalist specializing in religious information
Originally published in 2019 in the CARF Foundation Newsletter.
