The story behind Coldplay’s autographed guitar that will be used to build 200 custom bikes

Hello, my name is Amparo and I am the daughter of Jean Maggie. We are from Cordoba, Argentina. We have a Netflix documentary produced by Oscar winner Juan José Campanella, The infinite limit, showing his ascent of my father’s Himalayas with his adapted bicycle. As big fans of Coldplay, we followed them on Instagram and saw their post about accessibility. What do you think of working together?”, The athlete’s daughter wrote an email six months ago, perhaps without expecting an impact, in response to a publication that the British band had made on networks about how to make their shows more inclusive.

One day, in his inbox, he found an email from the people who work with the group led by Chris Martin, telling him that they were interested in his father’s story. There, he began a round trip of emails, in which both parties tried to find ideas that would allow the inclusion they wanted to come true. Among the initial sketches was the possibility that Jean and people from his foundation would pedal with their adapted bikes to generate electricity, but they finally decided to do another type of joint collaboration.

“I sent them the infinite limit and my history and when they found out that I had a foundation they thought it might be good to do some action to raise funds, “he said. Jean Maggie a teleshow and explained: “They invite us to the show on November 8 and they offer us to raffle a guitar to raise money, it is autographed and has a certificate of authenticity.”

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Thus, on Sunday, hours before traveling to Germany where they will build some devices that will allow him to make his trip to space, the Cordovan athlete will go to the hotel where the band is staying to look for the precious guitar. Thus, for every five thousand pesos that each person contributes to the foundation, the donor will be given a number and on December 3, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the draw will take place.

The idea is that with the proceeds they can build about 200 adapted bicycles, 20 of which would go to Ukraine and the rest would be distributed in different points of Argentina.

On the back and forth of emails with the band, he said: “We spent a while figuring out what to do. It surprises me because one imagines that they are not going to answer you, after the guitar thing came up, it was more about agreeing on the graphics and stuff, that everything is approved by them: the use of their image, the promotion plan, what we were going to do There was also talk of holding an auction, which is very common in the United States or Europe, but we don’t have that dynamic here.”

When asked if he was surprised by Coldplay’s response, he said: “I have many of these things in my life, Queen Maxima when it premiered the infinite limit in Holland He answered me a spectacular letter where he congratulates me. I feel privileged that it touches us and another reflection is that things are there and you have to go looking for them, but one does not look for them and that is why they are far away, it was to send the mail, it was sent and people see it there and says ‘they won’t answer me’. For it to be possible, you have to take the step and get moving.”

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“The idea is to build an action thinking that it will be one of many. We are going slowly to be able to build a relationship between the two, and we are all very clear that we want to change the disability, ”he added, hopeful with the idea of ​​being able to continue doing things with Coldplay in the future and he is sure that this will bring them a lot of benefits: “The first is to have been chosen and for the guitar they donated to come to the foundation is super important, and materially, we aspire to build 200 bikes. I call this Music in Motion.”

Jean gives motivational talks and presides over the aforementioned foundation that bears her name and that has, among other objectives, to give away adapted bikes: “There is a phrase that says, ‘if you want something to die, leave it alone’ and disability is just that. The bike, on the other hand, implies going out and feeling that your body is yours”.

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“Where my legs can’t take me. When a friendly hand wants to help. The world is big, I can count on you. I can climb that ladder now. Through the window to see the people come… I bring, the pedals for a dream, so that you are the owner, of your own freedom”, Says “El Barrio” the song that Jean made with yadam gonzalez (musician and producer who accompanies Diego Torres, among others) and Gerry Cea with the participation of Dante Spinetta and it is without a doubt the best way to show the importance of your work. For the clip, which was recorded in the Padre Mujica neighborhood, he has been nominated for an Emmy Suncoast (in addition to two others for documentary work).

who is Jean

His real name is Juan Ignacio and in his networks he defines himself as “athlete, serial dreamer, husband and father of a family” and adds: “I believe in the capabilities of human beings, not in their disabilities.” He was born at 62 and following year even though he was vaccinated with the recently approved Sabinecontracted poliomyelitis, which paralyzed his lower limbs. Within the framework of the national vaccination campaign, he defined himself as “pro-vaccine” and explained, emphasizing the importance of giving himself the recommended doses: “My case is that of a vaccine that failed in 2 million, but 1,999,999 children were saved. and also, now the vaccine they are giving is the Salk”.

Some time ago, he told this site that accepting his condition took him 37 years, while he was “dripping oil on the corners”, -he joked with the Cordovan humor that characterizes him-. The world of 60, 50, 40 or 30 years ago was not like the world of today. “It was like an explosive wave: non-acceptance, social barriers, there were no groups, buildings with stairs, plus this look of a poor thing.”

Until a heart attack “saved” his life, as he himself defines the cardiac event he had before reaching 40: “When you’re in an ambulance, you change or you die. I realized that I had everything I have today, a wife, children, friends, a job, and I didn’t value it.” So, she got on an adapted bike and began to exercise, but not only did his physique change, but also his head. “When I sat there, I pretended it was Superman’s cape, because he was free.” He did several marathons, Ironman and even climbed the Himalayasa feat that Juan José Campanella reflected in the documentary the infinite limit. His next step is to travel to space, he has been training and working for months and he hopes that next year he will be approved to do so.

His story inspired Diego Torres who dedicated the theme of his latest album Atlántico a pie to him, “Hoy” and with whom he struck up a friendship: “Today you have woken up, with the desire to fly, wings are not needed to lift the flight, look for it, nothing is impossible or far away. Always going round and round looking for that place that makes us feel alive. I want to be, believe, seek. Start over once again. Feeling that everything has changed. Leaving the past behind. I can go, follow, live. Fight for a dream until death. Go where no one has gone. Carrying the present by my side”.

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