"From My Chair" is the chronicle of events that followed a traumatic surfing accident that left Beto Gurmilán paralyzed at the young age of 15. His dreams and hopes of a "normal" life were shattered but his will remained intact. Through perseverance and with strong family support Gurmilán has recovered and has accomplished many of the dreams that at one point seemed so distant. In his first published book, Gurmilán interweaves anecdotes and personal experiences that have helped him in his route to regaining control of his life and completing his dreams. He revisits his road to recovery from spinal cord injury but also shares perspectives about love, life, family and some of the keys to happiness that have helped him turn a tragedy into valuable life lessons for everyone to learn from. Gurmilán teaches us that limitations only exist in the mind and that the human spirit is the fuel of all accomplishments. He encourages us to cherish each moment -good or bad- and learn from them. "From My Chair" provides footnotes for life in a lighthearted yet powerful language that all can understand.
About the Author: Humberto Gurmilan was born in Chula Vista, California on November 28th 1978, and is first of three siblings. From a young age he was interested in sports and his father introduced him to baseball that sparked a further love for other sports. In 1989 they moved from downtown Tijuana to Playas de Tijuana, a community right on the shoreline of the Pacific Ocean a move that changed his life. He immediately made new friends and eventually fell in love with the ocean and surfing. He soon left organized sports and dedicated all of his time to the ocean and surfing. One faithful autumn morning he went surfing and right before it was time to head in and call it a day he rode his last wave as he dove of his board and hit the bottom of the ocean head first breaking his neck and immediately becoming paralyzed from my chest down. That day, after the accident I was transported to Mercy Hospital in San Diego where I started my recovery and eventually my rehabilitation at Sharp Rehabilitation Hospital. After he finished High School at Montgomery High in 1997 he then transferred to Southwestern College where he received his first degree, an A.A. in Journalism. He then transferred to San Diego Sate University where he graduated with a B.A. in Communication. A few years later he obtained an M.A. from National University. Today, he is an Emmy Award Winning Sports Anchor for Telemundo in San Diego/Tijuana and also teaches Communication at San Diego City College. Humberto participates in the community by volunteering his time and now is founding a non profit organization. His dream is to help people with disabilities in San Diego and Tijuana, Mexico.