Julietti: the chair that expands horizons
Admire the sunset from the top of a mountain, with a carpet of clouds covering the valley. Glimpse nature from above. Travel through hours of trails with countless obstacles. Feel the light breeze and the feeling of a goal achieved. The emotions of climbing a mountain are unique, feeling the freshness of the air and the exuberance of nature where the horizon is 360º is a reward for those who pay the price of exhaustion.
Walking for hours through the forest, crossing rough terrain towards the top is a worldwide passion. The practice of mountaineering has grown exponentially across the planet, reaching an increasingly diverse audience. Guilherme and Juliana, a couple passionate about the sport, go to great lengths to achieve their goals and have explored more than 30 mountains.
After years together, the couple decided to embark on a new odyssey: having a baby. Plans to travel and explore new mountains had to be postponed. At the beginning of her pregnancy, due to the return of breast cancer, Juliana lost the movement of her legs and had difficulty speaking. The symptoms worsened and Benjamin arrived into the world two months early, however, strong and healthy. After the pregnancy, doctors were able to carry out more precise tests on the condition and discovered a rare degenerative disease in the cerebellum, taking Juliana away from her passion.
Far from being able to return to the trails accompanied by his wife, Guilherme dedicated his free time to finding a way to bring to Juliana’s eyes the full horizon that an adventure in the middle of the forest provides.
In January last year, Juliana received a birthday present: the climb to Pedra da Macela, 1,840m high. For the present, Guilherme committed himself: with the help of friends, Juliana was pulled by ropes in a conventional wheelchair and, in the final meters, when the path became too narrow for the chair, Guilherme carried Juliana in his arms. “She’s going to walk. She’s going to do whatever it takes”, says an emotional Guilherme.
Day after day, Guilherme worked for 3 months on designing a special chair for Juliana in partnership with a mechanical engineer from the city of São José dos Campos, where the couple lives. On June 12th, Valentine’s Day, the ascension to the peak of the Prateleiras massif, in Itatiaia Park, is a success and Juliana and Guilherme exchange an emotional hug in a beautiful scene recorded by their friend, Samuel Oscar, a cameraman specializing in mountain videos. “Returning to the mountain with Ju was emotional. Anyone who saw her strong, organizing the groups and sees her in this situation, is a tremendous pain. On the other hand, it is a pleasure to see her smile at being on the mountain again. It was magical”, says Oscar.
But the couple didn’t stop there. Guilherme liked the chair project so much that, together with Juliana, he created the Montanha Para Todos movement, taking Juliettis – the name given by Juliana to the chair – to all corners of the country. The project consists of allocating special chairs to environmental parks, reserves and attractions that promote outdoor living, through institutions that can pay for the equipment and donate it to the centers.
On November 10th, Brasil Raft Park was awarded a Julietti, by Sicredi Nordeste, further expanding the possibilities for wheelchair users in the park, which already has multiple activities, due to the structure designed for accessibility.
The couple has been traveling the country, speaking and delivering Juliettis. Guilherme and Juliana now intend to work on creating a feature film to tell their story. And the adventures don’t end, the couple has an ambition: to redo all of the more than 30 trails already completed, now with Juliana on Julietti and Benjamin on her back, in a backpack specially designed for the baby.