The story of a boy who built himself.
“Diversity is in the very nature of being human. We are all different and we need to treat each other with respect. If a society is based on that, we can move mountains. Otherwise, we only move backwards. We need to move up the mountain, rather than down it.”
– David Aguilar
David, 19, was born with Poland syndrome, a condition that caused his right arm to not develop properly. He was bullied at school for being different, but it was thanks to the support of his family, friends and teachers that he succeeded in a way that far exceeded all expectations, that and his admiration for Legos, his safe haven.
David spent his free time creating, innovating and imagining new structures with Legos until, at the tender age of 9, he decided to build a boat around his right arm. That’s how he ended up creating what would become his first prosthetic arm. He transformed his love for Lego pieces into his identity, his difference, his strength. This is the spectacular story of achievement of a child who, instead of settling, became an internationally renowned teenager who gives conferences at NASA.
He recounts the highs and lows of his life full of difficulties that he overcame thanks to the unconditional love and support of the people he was surrounded with. He shows his commitment to participate in countless solidarity projects to fight against the stigma of disability and bullying, as well as to promote a more humane, supportive and inclusive world. His dream is to be able to design affordable prosthetics for those who need them in the future.
RELEVANT DATA: Piece by piece (Pieza a Pieza) is the best example to demonstrate that a disability can become the most powerful tool to promote creativity and innovation.
David Aguilar’s story has echoed around the world and was covered by various media outlets, including CNN, National Geographic and newspapers, radio and television channels in France, Germany, Croatia, the United States, Canada, Malaysia, Peru, Greece, Russia and China. The documentary, Mr. Hand Solo, which received the Best Documentary Feature Award at the Boston Science Fiction Festival (USA), one of the most important festivals in the world in this genre and where Star Wars premiered almost 40 years ago. At the premiere of the documentary, the Spanish Ambassador announced that David Aguilar would be one of the nominees for the prestigious Princess of Girona Awards, which recognize the personal and professional careers of young people. David will be part of the jury for the televised Lego Masters Spain 2021 competition.
He holds several awards and distinctions such as the Guinness World Record for being the first person in history to make a fully functional prosthetic out of Legos, the First Person Honored at the First International Day of Persons with Disabilities awarded by the Jacqueline Pradere Foundation in Andorra, and the Silver Medal “Glory to the Best Servants of Humanity”, a distinction awarded by the Republican Guard in Paris, among others.
What the critics have said:
“A wonderful book to visualize the future and inspire all people, but especially the youth.” Amazon
AUDIOVISUAL POTENTIAL: In development for a Film format.
LANGUAGES AVAILABLE: English, Spanish, Polish, Greek, French.
