Javier, Spain: "From this moment on, I'm starting fresh"

Javier Abad is the father of seven children and a civil servant with the Community of Madrid. A family man and a loyal friend, he used to make many plans to go out with the people close to him. One of his favourite activities was going out into the countryside with his children and hiking the mountains of the Sierra de Madrid.

He has few memories of the accident. He spent over a month in the Intensive Care Unit. Javier admits that, in situations like this, "you ask: why has this happened to me? You want to rebel against God and say: I have many children to care for, why are you allowing this...? It was an internal struggle. Until there came a moment – one I remember perfectly – when I told God: look, I accept everything you send me. From that moment on, I was able to pray to God as I used to."

In these 21 months, he has come to appreciate the closeness of family and the constant support of his wife and children. He has also experienced how Opus Dei is like a family – other supernumeraries would accompany him at night when his wife and children couldn't be there – and with their care and attention, he has never been left alone.

I offer my pain for a particular patient, for an intention someone has asked for... I know it serves a purpose.

During his long stay in hospital, he has helped and encouraged many patients. He is well-known and loved by the medical staff and fellow patients, who look forward to their after-lunch conversations in the hospital corridor.

In the hospital, he exchanged computers for the warmth of a bedside lamp: "I realised my job was to put in four or five hours in the gym each day." This shift in perspective also led him to focus on others: "I offer my pain for a particular patient, for an intention someone has asked for, and in that way – since it's going to hurt – I know it serves a purpose."

He and his wife are deeply grateful to the Fundación Instituto San José, the Brothers of St. John of God, and all the staff who work there. Jesus’ closeness in the hospital has helped Javier accept his situation: "I see a mountain before me, calling me to climb it! And I ask myself: will I be able to climb that mountain again someday? Right now, I don't think about what I did before. I focus on what I'm improving day by day. I try not to let sadness overwhelm me. I let God into my heart and ask Him to help me overcome what has happened to me."