Ricardo Monis, who had type II spinal muscular atrophy, a degenerative neuromuscular disease, "was an example of life and willpower", wrote Suricata Editora, in a message sent to the Lusa agency.

Born in Setúbal, on August 20, 1998, Ricky, as he liked to be called", is one of the creators of the 'Ricky' collection, which began to be published last year, a series dedicated to a boy who has all the common concerns of children his age, and who uses a wheelchair.

"But that doesn't stop him from playing football. It is one of his characteristics, just like his perspicacity and his sense of humor. The other players will have other characteristics and it is from the union of different skills that a great team is made," we read in the presentation of the first volume of 'Ricky', "an autobiographical story about inclusion, or rather 'non-exclusion'."

Ricardo Monis graduated in Sociology from ISCTE - Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL), a course that helped him develop projects such as stories for children, as he stated, when his book was published. He was diagnosed at six months old, and had been using a wheelchair since he was four years old.

In a profile published in the first person by Visão magazine, in March 2023, he confessed "to depend on others for everything", but this fact never limited him: "Limits only exist in the minds of those who create them."

"Despite the luck I have had with the people I live with, I still notice some embarrassment, especially at the level of initial interaction", said Ricardo Monis to Visão. "I think this is mainly due to the lack of representation of people with disabilities. Often, when they are exposed, they are associated with the stamp of 'poor thing' or 'hero'. None of this helps us move forward and these are postures that create a barrier for us to be seen with greater relevance."

The first attempts to find a job were difficult, but he found work in a consulting firm, in the area of Talent Strategy and, according to his publisher, "had just joined" another international consulting firm.

The 'Ricky' series, which he wrote with his cousin Lucas Chipenda and the illustrator Nuno Salvada, allowed him to go to schools, universities and companies, to share his story, "with the aim of demonstrating that myths only exist for those who promote them", he told Visão. "Children have lots of questions and doubts about the wheelchair and [...] my daily routines. I let them ask whatever they want, because I believe that the secret to an inclusive world lies in education."

The lack of accessibility was "a huge problem" always referred to by Monis. "The country is not prepared for people with special needs."

"Of course, not every day is a bed of roses - sometimes I feel frustrated and tired, but honestly, complaining is not part of my style (only when I have to wake up early!)", he wrote in one of his last messages on Instagram. "I choose to face each obstacle with a smile on my face (or at least with a silly face, come on!), because [...] life is too short to waste time regretting what we cannot control. Instead of focusing on what I can't do, I prefer to celebrate every little victory."

"So, if you see me doing radical maneuvers in my wheelchair on the street, know that I'm just proving that life with spinal muscular atrophy can be full of adrenaline and joy (or I just lost control of the chair)", continues the creator of Ricky. And he concludes: "This journey is not a bed of roses, but the best roads are those full of curves, don't you think?"

The second volume of the Ricky collection will be published in the autumn of this year. Ricardo Monis also managed to complete the text of a third volume, announced the publisher.

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