Nearly twenty-four years ago Chula Vista native Humberto Gurmilan suffered a surfing accident in Tijuana that left him bound to a wheel chair for the remainder of his life.
While the accident has left Gurmilan physically handicap, it did not paralyze his soul or spirit.
Gurmilan, 39, said instead of feeling sorry for himself, he thought to defy the odds and prove that a disabled person can make something out of their life.
Through a solid support system, Gurmilan went on and received a college degree from San Diego State University, had a career as a sports anchor and producer for the Spanish-language news station Telemundo.
“Obviously it’s been a long road,” he said about overcoming hardships. “I was able to accomplish a lot of goals, a lot of dreams, a lot of things because of people’s support and opportunities that people gave me.”
While Gurmilan served as a role model for disabled people on the television screen, Gurmilan figured that was not enough.
He wanted to do more for the disabled community.
“All this time I’ve received help myself, so I figured I got to do something for other (disabled) people,” Gurmilan said.
With that calling, Gurmilan retired from Telemundo to focus on growing the Gurmilan Foundation, a nonprofit that awards scholarships and resources to disabled students both in the South Bay and in Tijuana, as well as to create awareness about certain disabilities and their challenges.
The foundation assists people with physical disabilities that need adaptive equipment and people who have no hearing or vision.
Still in its infancy, the foundation so far has managed to award two $1,000 scholarships and a $500 scholarship for an adaptive-driving training.
“If somebody wants to go to college and has a disability, they can apply for our scholarships and we will directly support their tuition,” he said.
The Gurmilan foundation has also donated more than $4,000 of medical supplies and equipment to people in need in Tijuana, Gurmilan said.v
The foundation started when Gurmilan was made aware about a woman in college who was struggling academically because she did not have a braille machine. Gurmilan said he made some calls, got people in a room and figured out how to get the lady a braille machine.
Alex Montoya, 43, the chairman of the seven-member board, was born with a birth defect, without both arms and right leg. He has had prosthetics since he was four years old.
“I thought about, if there was one thing Beto is trying to prove through this organization is conquering your fears and stepping outside yourself and going beyond your limitations. I thought about it and thought what kind of role model am I if I encourage him to do this organization, but if I’m not willing to step outside of myself and take a risk and do it then my words don’t mean anything.”
