Carlos Espada Garcia – Black Belt Champion, Marathon Runner and Astro Photographer

In 2007 I was diagnosed with ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, although nowadays everyone associates the disease with the image of Dr Stephen Hawking. ​

ALS is a terrible and devastating terminal disease, with no cure or treatment. It causes rapid tetraplegia and death on average, within three to five years. ​

In my case, I have been quadriplegic since 2012. As I can only move my eyes, everything I do is through my computer and an eye-tracking system. ​

Considering my condition, in 2017 I decided to pursue astronomy and astrophotography. In 2021 I built my own observatory, which I control remotely, 180 miles away from where I currently live. I manage the observatory, my telescopes, and computers, as well as all the software programs in order to capture quality light and calibration frames by just moving my eyes. Unfortunately, I´m not able yet to control PixInsight with my eyes, so I rely on friends of mine who kindly process my pictures for which I am most appreciative. 

View my amazing photos here on YouTube. 
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Questions for my readers:
You have a life expectancy of decades, your whole life ahead of you. ​
You can handle your hands, your feet, you can walk, run, breathe, talk!​
And I ask you healthy people: are you taking advantage of all your abilities?​

Watch an inspiring video about Carlos’s ALS journey here on YouTube.

Carlos Espada, Computing Scientist and Partner Director at NTT Data, Madrid, Spain