Pedaladas de fe: Little Rodri gets his first bike and teaches a lesson in joy

Rodri is a boy who suffers from a rare disease called ADNP (or Helsmoortel-Van der Aa Syndrome). It is a genetic neurodevelopmental disorder caused by mutations in the ADNP gene. In the case of Rodri, who is about to turn six years old, this condition is manifested, roughly speaking, in the fact that he does not speak or walk. This does not prevent him from being the center of attention of his family because, in an inexplicable way, he makes himself loved in an incomparable way. How is it possible that he is so happy and radiates so much joy? What do his parents “give” him so that he shows his great happiness with his gestures, smiles and clapping hands? It deserves an explanation...

They say that behind a great man there is a great woman. Transferring this reality to Rodri's case, his parents say that he is like that, a happy and joyful child, that they have not done anything. But that remains to be proven. Juan and Maria are a living testimony of faith and continuous hope. Behind them, there are two stories of Christian witness, worthy of being made known. And that is what we are going to do in this interview, a few days after the First Communion of his other son, Íñigo. It coincides in time with the arrival of a special bike for Rodri, thanks to a crowdfunding, which allows them to go to the countryside as a family.

Juan, you are a convert, thanks to God and the Cenacle, and you give public testimony of your faith, just search on youtube. How did you get here? What is the Cenacle?

- I have reached this point thanks to the Cenacle, because before my life was a complete disaster and I was not giving a dime for it. Coming to the Cenacle, which is a Christian community founded by Mother Elvira, meant letting God's grace enter my heart.

There I was able to discover that God really exists, almost like touching him, because he is a community that lives off providence. There is no economic interest or profit motive, and that makes one see that everything is done voluntarily and without asking for anything in return.

The only thing that is asked of us is that little will that we have left to set out on the road. There I found God, the Virgin Mary and also many wonderful people. I always say that some of the best human beings I have met are ex-drug addicts when they let their best version come out.

Besides, this community allows me to continue collaborating to help other kids, and that does me a lot of good.

Maria, you, on the other hand, were the rebel of a family, and over time you have known your vocation to Opus Dei. What is your story? How have your parents and friends influenced you?

- My parents did with me the same thing that we now try to do with our children: to teach, with much affection, what is best for any person, which is to have God in the heart and to live facing Him.

They tried to be an example with their words, their actions and their way of life. All the good things I have today are the fruit of the seed planted by them and also by many people with whom I have interacted and who have helped me to grow.

Now we try to plant that same seed in our children, and then let it be what God wills with the freedom He gives us.

Now let's talk about your meeting, how did you meet? How did “your thing» come about?

- [John]: Curiously, the Holy Spirit always has the last word in reserve.

When I left the Cenacle I thought about starting a family. I met several girls and we dated for a while, but I realized that we were not right for each other. There came a time when I thought, “Well, maybe the Lord wants me like this, free to help others and not to have a family.

Then a friend of ours, not yet knowing Maria and I, thought we might make a good couple. He said to me: “I'm going to introduce you to the woman of your life”. And I asked him if he had had an apparition or something like that.

The truth is that I didn't want a blind date, but since it was a meeting at the Basilica of San Isidro in Madrid, I thought: “Well, I know her and that's it”.

But when I saw her, besides her beauty, I was very impressed by her faith. I felt something different and I regained hope of being able to form a family.

We started to write to each other by WhatsApp, then to meet every day. The first thing we did was to go to Mass and then we would go for a drink and get to know each other better. And that's how it all started.

How were your first years of marriage? How was the arrival of Íñigo -who has just made his First Communion- to the world? 

- [Mary]: The first years of marriage were not easy, because we were two people who already had a certain age, strong personalities and many different customs. They were two different worlds that had to merge into one.

With God's help we have been reaching that communion in which one complements the other and helps him in his defects. We have had recourse to courses for married couples, prayer and spiritual accompaniment. Little by little we have found the balance.

Every day we ask God for help to continue with our great responsibility: to take our children to Heaven.

Now we have experienced a very important moment with Íñigo's First Communion and we feel that we are on the right track.

- [John]: The arrival of Inigo was the greatest joy of our lives. I didn't think that, with the age I was and the life I had led, I would ever have a child.

And suddenly he arrived: so good, so cheerful and so loving. He has taught me so much. Sometimes I think that God speaks to us through him.

He has the beautiful childhood that maybe I couldn't have, and somehow that heals my own childhood as well. His love for us is completely pure and selfless, and that fills the heart in a way I've never felt before.

But at one point in his life, there started to be “curves” and it got exciting. To begin with... How was the “cold shower” when you were told how Rodri was coming? 

- [Mary]: When Rodrigo was about two months old we started to notice that something was not right. It was friends and people close to him who gave us the first clues. He lacked muscle tone to hold his head and his gaze was not fixed properly.

Over time we discovered that any small step forward for Rodrigo required much more effort than for other children.

We had to assume that its development would not follow the usual pace and that its future would always be a big unknown for us.

He is now six years old. He still does not speak and although he is starting to walk with braces, he is not yet walking with confidence.

At the beginning we lived it with a lot of pain. But over time we have discovered that this path, although never easy, is full of love and meaning.

They say Rodri came with a loaf of bread under his arm. Is that so?

- [John]: In the beginning it was all uncertainty. Rodrigo was breathing very badly and we spent years in and out of the hospital because he did not have enough oxygen in his blood.

We lived through some very hard times, including a delicate operation. But we also saw a lot of God's grace in the midst of it all.

After a trip to Medjugorje, she began to look at us much more intently. For me that was a very clear sign of Our Lady's presence.

And yes, we say that he came with a loaf of bread under his arm because thanks to him we were able to find a house adapted to his needs, with a garden and space to live in peace.

Before the situation was unsustainable because Rodrigo is very noisy and at night he sometimes hit things and we bothered the neighbors a lot. Now we live quietly. 

In addition, in one of the most psychologically difficult moments of my life, my children have been what has brought me out of the “cave”. I am going through a very strong crisis that has removed deep wounds from my childhood and my past. But when I come home and Rodrigo or Íñigo embrace me, everything changes.

Rodrigo doesn't need to speak. With his eyes he says it all. His pure love forces me to come out of myself and keep fighting.

And I am also clear about one thing: I don't relapse into drugs because of them. They give me the strength to keep going.

What did you learn from Mother Elvira, Juan? What experiences of the cenacle made you change? What do you transmit in your environment of this spirituality? 

- Mother Elvira gave her life completely for us. She taught us a life based on constant prayer, the Gospel, the rosary and friendship.

In the Cenacle we pray in the morning, at noon and in the evening. Each day we also share how God has touched the heart of each one of us.

She said that the kids who really changed were the ones who did night worship. That had a big impact on me.

And today I try to transmit hope to other kids. Many talk to me and discover that they can still change their lives. Seeing that continues to amaze me every day.

Maria, you spend so many hours with Rodri, and you are so creative, how did you come up with the idea of crowdfunding the bike?

- We love to go out in the country, for walks and bike rides. But many times I felt sorry for not being able to take Rodrigo with us.

That's why I started thinking about getting a bike adapted for him. I was afraid of crowdfunding, but one day we decided to shoot a video and launch it.

And to our surprise, in just 24 hours we had raised almost all the money.

The generosity of the people has been impressive. So many people collaborated, even people we don't know.

We finally found a great bike that will allow us to carry Rodrigo on the back, either Juan or me or even his brother Íñigo.

We can't wait to use it for the first time.

María, how do you manage to combine caring for Rodri with carrying out solidarity projects? 

- Thanks to the care allowance for a seriously ill child, I can spend a lot of time with my children and also develop my creativity.

I'm a graphic and web designer, but since Rodrigo was born I can't go to work. I fight the creative “monkey” with my little artistic project called @leonypio.

Besides, Juan and I make a very good team. Between the two of us, we manage to do everything we set out to do.

They also wanted to convey an important message about disability and life.

- [Mary]: Yes, sometimes there are people who are afraid of the possibility of having a child with problems.

I had always thought that I would like to take care of someone like that, although living it is not easy. But I can say that Rodrigo has really come with a loaf of bread under his arm. We have received enormous human support from great professionals, aids, scholarships, support from the foundation“.“RUN FOR SMILES”and a wonderful public school.

God provides. When a child with special needs arrives, so do the necessary means to care for him or her.

Juan, what is your life of faith and hope like as a family? How do you transmit it to your friends and family?

- [John]: Our faith life is very simple and very real. Sometimes we manage to pray the rosary together and sometimes not, because with children it is not easy.

We try to sanctify ourselves especially in the small day-to-day tasks: preparing breakfasts, taking care of the children, accompanying each other.

We participate in Mass, retreats, fellowships and Christian groups. We also continue to be very close to the Cenacle.

We also have friends who are believers and non-believers, and we share life with all of them.

What do you tell families who receive the news that their children come with special needs? 

- [Mary]: I would tell them that these children are special, yes, but most of all they are a gift.

For us Rodrigo is an angel that God has entrusted to us to take care of him, but he also takes care of us.

Their smile, their hugs, their laughter over little things... all that completely transforms life.

- [John]: Rodrigo teaches us to live in the present and to forget about many absurd worries.

He loves music, laughs a lot, enjoys the sound of the birds, being with us. He gives healing bear hugs.

And we also see how his brother Íñigo loves him in an impressive way.

Once Maria told Inigo that in Heaven Rodrigo would be able to talk and run. And he replied that he wanted Rodrigo to remain the same as he is now. That says a lot about the love that exists between them.

Would you be happy to be received by Leo XIV, in his possible meeting with the sick, during his visit to Spain?

- [John]: We would be very excited. Besides, our eldest son's name is Íñigo León, and when Pope Leo XIV was elected we felt something very special.

We would love to meet you as a family.

And we also want to take the opportunity to offer our help to other families: to those who have children with special needs and need guidance, or to those who have a child trapped in drugs and don't know what to do*.

They helped us for free and we want to do the same.

Finally, what would you like to keep from your experiences?

- [John]: We thank God for our marriage, for our children and also for the difficulties.

We do not ask God to take away our crosses, but to give us the strength to overcome them.

And we offer all that we live so that many souls may approach heaven.

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*Contact telephone numbers: Juan 680 82 39 00 and María: 654 24 89 98