Florencia: An Accidental Story

183 Pages·2017·1.04 MB·English

by  Douglas Bowman

Copyright © 2017 by Douglas Bowman & John D. Mullen
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without prior
written consent of the authors, except as provided by the United States of America copyright law.
Published by Dignity Publishing Printed in the United States of America.
ISBN: 978-1-946978-14-1
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Endorsements
I watched this story unfold firsthand. Two ordinary men, my friends, John
Mullen and Douglas Bowman, had a simple idea…but it was to do something
extraordinary. Their story is not only worth telling…it’s a cause worth joining!!
I hope it inspires you to support them in their quest to help 10,000 walk.
~ Billy Baldwin, Actor and Producer
Florencia, An Accidental Story, is an inspirational guide book for all of us to
learn from and to live by. The story chronicles how human compassion,
combined with commitment to purpose, can result in miraculous outcomes. I
take personal pride in the role Cal Poly played in this journey, and for the
courage of our students who ventured to the Jaipur Foot Clinic in India to simply
‘Learn by Doing.’ The result was a lesson of a lifetime.
~ Jeffrey D. Armstrong,
President California Polytechnic
State University, San Luis Obispo
I know what it’s like to hear a voice saying ‘you can’t do this….’ Most of the
time, that’s just a lie. The truth is, you can. I have done so many things that
others thought were impossible. This story is in that category. Two guys who
followed their dream. Let it inspire you and motivate you to change the world
around you. It just might change you in the process!
~ Nick Vujicic, Your Life Without Limits, Unstoppable,
New York Times Bestselling Author,
Motivational Speaker
What started out as an adventure to help an 18 year old named Florencia turned
into a perfect storm of creative ingenuity and waves of emotion. It started with
Internships for our Multi-Media Arts and Design (MAD) Academy students.
They were able to leverage media skills learned in the classroom to a
phenomenal effect. Florencia, An Accidental Story, is a must read twenty-first
century recipe for lifetime success and empowerment!
~ Melanie Cava, Board of Directors
MAD Academy
This is a remarkable book of compassion, recounting the true story of Florencia,
a landmine victim from the bush of Mozambique, regaining her mobility and
dignity, with help, transcending races and continents. Florencia’s narrative
stands out more than any other. Families help a relative. Friends help another
friend. Who helps a stranger? And, more importantly, a stranger thousands of
miles away? And yet it occurred.
John Mullen, an American businessman, and Douglas Bowman an English
pastor, were living in California and read Florencia’s story in a National
Geographic article. Thousands read the same words and might have felt a degree
of empathy. These two men, however, chose to do something. They gathered a
team of high school and university students to pursue a dream to give Florencia a
leg. She was brought to Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti (BMVSS),
Jaipur, India, the world’s largest organization for rehabilitating the disabled. In
the next few days, she walked out like a normal person shedding her despair and
miseries. Tears of joy rolled down not only from her cheeks but also of those
who made this possible or watched her. It was my privilege to be one of them.
As I write, I am looking at the passport of Florencia. In just a few weeks she is
arriving in Jaipur to get trained as a prosthetic technician. She will return to
Mozambique to help others walk. Now, that is a miracle.
~ DR Mehta, Chief Patron,
BMVSS Jaipur Foot
Florencia, An Accidental Story, is a compelling book. It deserves to be read
widely and to be enjoyed across the generations. The story captures the power
that the human spirit, driven by compassion and determination, can have in the
face of extreme adversity. Santa Barbara High School’s very own Multi-Media
Arts and Design Academy students got to experience this first hand by being a
part of the inspirational story that is still happening in Mozambique and Jaipur,
India. May the book and this vital effort contribute to thousands walking and a
multitude of young humanitarians.
~ John Becchio, Principal,
Santa Barbara High School
About the Authors
John
The call came on the eve of my 32 birthday. It was like a shockwave out of
nd
nowhere.
“Happy Birthday, son! You’re now 32. It’s your time.”
My time? What could he mean by this? Does he want me to come work for
him?
“Dad, it’s time for what?”
“You’re 32 years old and it’s time for you to start your own business.” “My
own business?”
A shiver went down my spine. Nothing could have prepared me for this
moment of emancipation.
“Johnny, you know how it’s done. You’ve watched me. You’ve seen it done.
It is my time.
That’s all I needed. A serial entrepreneur had spoken, and I had his genes.
Two weeks later, JM Consulting Group was born. The delivery suite was a
humble desk in the corner of a tiny apartment. The name was definitely a
portend to the future, rather than a description of the present. The ‘group’ was
me, myself, and I. This would be a classic example of ‘fortune favors the brave.’

Unknown to me, the wireless cellular boom and the advent of the personal
cellular phone was just around the corner. For me, the future arrived when it was
announced that there would be an open competition for the airwaves of America.
The winners of the wireless auctions needed consultants to locate the cell towers.
I seized my chance. When I wasn’t surfing at the local beaches with my kids, I
rode this telecom wave and became one of the largest wireless consulting firms
in the nation. Almost overnight my ‘group’ grew from one employee to over two
hundred and fifty staff working in 40 states, and a foreign corporation, JM
Consulteria, in Mexico.
A caterpillar had broken out of its cocoon and was now exploring this new-
found entrepreneurial freedom.
Like my dad, I didn’t stop with one company. With the ‘winnings’ from my
telecom business, I formed JM Development and created a homebuilding
business that became one of the largest boutique builders in the central coast of
California. Until that point, I had reaped all the benefits of risk. I was now about
to find out the darker side of risk. The housing ‘bubble’ of the early years of the
new millennium combined with a clandestine mortgage ‘affair’ on Wall Street
and houses foreclosed faster than a kid’s soap bubbles blown into the air. They
started with such optimism and fun. Suddenly every bubble was popped. Houses.
Pop. Bank Loans. Pop. Banks. Pop. Companies. Pop. The only areas growing
like weeds in a garden were layoffs and foreclosures.
It was economic carnage, and real estate, so often the poster child for the
American Dream, was exhibit number one to illustrate the 2008 nightmare. With
the same swiftness that I built my organizations in the 1990s, I found myself
deconstructing these enterprises, letting go of staff, and trying to ‘land the
plane.’
I always enjoyed snorkeling and the sight of colorful fish, but when the global
financial market is tanking, and your company is ‘underwater,’ it brings a
sinking feeling of a very different kind. The goals are simple –don’t drown and
look out for the financial sharks. Creditors in good times rapidly become
predators in bad times.
I realized an important reality in the downturn. The genetic DNA code that
had been implanted by my father at an early age was a passion for
entrepreneurship. It had nothing to do with success. It wasn’t about the money.
In fact, it wasn’t even dependent on any one industry. Once an entrepreneur,
always an entrepreneur.
In late 2014, after many failed attempts to start up a new business I confessed
to my colleagues that I had uncovered a special gift. I could now ‘turn a for-
profit business into a non-profit.’ The statement proved to have more than a little
irony. For now, I had no idea what fate might bring or the future hold. I did
know myself well enough to realize it would involve a startup of some kind. I
was ready for my next venture.
It was birthed on a walk with my friend, Douglas in early 2015. On that day, I
had no idea where this journey would lead. Certainly, not to writing this book.
Florencia’s redemptive story needs to be told and retold in homes, villages,
classrooms, coffee shops, bars, churches, and social media across the world. I
count it as a privilege to accompany you, the reader, on this global adventure
that touches down in Russia, America, India, and finally, Mozambique.
I hope, like me, it will touch down in a fifth place…your heart.
Douglas
While John Mullen was making millions in his thirties I was exploring other
realms. At thirty-four, I was compelled to explore the temporary nature of my
existence. An unforeseen illness threatened to take my life away in months
rather than the years I had planned to enjoy. My wife, Fiona, was pregnant with
our second child Laura. Our son, Barrie, was just eighteen months old. Through
a quite remarkable set of circumstances, I experienced a complete healing.
Sickness, like hanging, ‘occupies the mind wonderfully.’ You can think of
little else but life and, well, death.
This was the second time in my life that death had come knocking at my door.
As an infant I had polio and sundry other life threatening complications. The
doctors were short on bedside manner and positive words for my mum and dad.
Indeed, when my son Barrie Douglas was born I asked my dad how he came up
with my name, Douglas Barrie, he said, “Oh I got the name for your death
certificate, the doctor mentioned you were not likely to survive the day, so I got
to my work and saw my boss’ name and thought, yes that will do.” Unlike mum,
the harsh realities of life had produced in my dad an inveterate pessimist.
Mum was of an altogether different kind - after all her maiden name was
Smiley. Words like determined, persistent, optimistic, faith and possible fit
hand-in-glove with her nature. She also knew the value of bombarding heaven
with her request for divine intervention. Heaven did. Intervene. The visitor at the
door of my life was turned away. I lived, walked, ran, spoke, and thought. All of
this was in sheer defiance of the doctor’s wisdom. I say defiance because it
speaks of the very human side of the intervention, mum’s fortitude and the I’ll-
show-them-the-impossible focus.
It took me a long time, a very long time, to learn that vulnerability is a strength
not weakness.
Thank God for sports, otherwise I might have had no friends at school. I
played on every team. In fact, I would have played on the girl’s hockey team if it
had been allowed. It was not only fun, it kept me from loneliness. Besides, I was
pretty good at many of the games. It was at school that a teacher took advantage
of my shyness away from the soccer or rugby field.