Dubai: He has no fully formed hands or feet. This would have defeated most able people in the battle of life, but Juan Briza has no anger. Instead, he is grateful for not being abandoned as a baby — it could have been worse.
Today, he works as a fully functional car mechanic at a garage in Al Quoz, Dubai. It’s not been an easy journey...
“I have eight brothers and a sister. They are all what people would say - normal. When I was a child, I would keep on asking myself, ‘Why? Why am I different?’ I even asked my parents, ‘What happened to me? But they have no idea.’”
Briza suffers from a rare congential disorder called dysmelia that affects one in 100,000 children worldwide. It is either inherited or is a result abuse of medicines during the pregnancy. And quite often, surgical intervention is not an option because of associated complications, such as lack of nerves.
Milan Handl, orthopedic surgeon at the Dubai Bone and Joint Center, told Gulf News that it was “remarkable” Briza was able to work.
The 32-year-old struggled with life for a few years initially, but an innate sense of joy of living manifested - he had a family that supported him. “I thanked God for being alive. And I thanked my parents for not abandoning me.”
Briza decided to take life head on, equipped with a desire to work hard and make a difference. His family helped him with this.
They helped him learn to walk, eat with his hands in a manageable manner and generally take care of himself. But, children can sometimes be cruel. In primary school, his classmates bullied him. He was devastated and felt helpless.
Finally, when he could take it no longer, he stopped them and said: “Please don’t do that, I am also a human being. And then they stopped! We started to become good friends.”
Money was tight at home. So he worked while at school. “Mervin, my long-time best friend, asked me to work with him at Buck Enterprises Motors in Pasig City [Philippines]. I was able to repair motorcycles, fix flarings and so on. I worked there for four years. I was so independent ....” He graduated from Pinagbuhatan High School, Pasig City, Philippines in April, 2011.
Watch: No hands, no feet, no problem for this Dubai mechanic
His older brother Nomer Briza asked him to come work with him in Dubai. This was in 2013.
Mohammad Al Hashemi, managing director, Star Auto Care Motors in Dubai, told Gulf News: “We recruited Juan from the Philippines as he was highly recommended by his brother Nomer, who is my business partner. Juan acquired many years of experience as a mechanic in the Philippines. He’s been with us for three years, and is doing an excellent job. Other people cannot do the same job as Juan does, because he is so focused.”
He is an expert on fixing electrical and air-conditioning problems of any car. Juan Briza can communicate in basic English to clients at the garage. He said: “I can tell them what the problem of their car is and what needs to be fixed. But if they have more questions, I will call my brother Nomer to explain.”
But, does that mean having to deal with people who are uncomfortable with his presence? “No, all our customers are treating me as normal, are very kind to me, and happy with the service.”
His colleagues are also fond of his positive attitude. Nomer is very proud of his brother for doing his best at work. Ashiq Masih, another mechanic at the garage from Pakistan, said: “Juan is very kind, he never complains, even though it’s very hot in the garage. He keeps on smiling. He has a good heart. We treat him as a normal mechanic.” His nephew, Shan Masih, who is also a mechanic, agreed and added that Juan is a “happy person. His determination gives hope and inspires us to look beyond the obstacles in front of us”.
This raises the question of the next step - of whether Juan Briza has ever looked at the prospect of treatment or even prosthetic limbs?
He said: “I am thrilled about the thought of using prosthetics, but since it’s costly, I would rather use the money, if ever I have, for the benefit of my family.”
