Pablo After Overcoming a 24 Hour Life Prognosis

He Camino de Santiago It is full of stories of faith and overcoming, but few have the strength and symbolism of the feat of Pablo Hurtado de Mendoza. This pilgrim has completed an epic journey, traveling the Jacobean Route conversely (about 800 kilometers), not only as a personal challenge, but as a powerful cry for visibility against the Behcet's disease, a rare autoimmune pathology that he himself suffers from.

Pablo's odyssey is a true miracle of life, marked by an outbreak that, years ago, brought him to the brink of the abyss. As he himself has related, the doctors came to give him a terrifying prognosis: "They gave me 24 hours to live". He survived a pulmonary thrombosis considered critical, and from that moment on, his life became a constant fight against a disease that progresses with unpredictable outbreaks, causing inflammation in the blood vessels and a profound impact on his quality of life.

From Galicia to Aragon: A Path of Visibility

Pablo Hurtado began his atypical pilgrimage in Santiago de Compostela with the aim of reaching his final destination, the Basilica del Pilar in Zaragoza, to make an offering to the Virgin, also paying an emotional tribute to his parents 85 years later.

The reverse route has helped him take advantage of the diversity of pilgrims who cross his path and use each encounter as an opportunity to disseminate and raise awareness about Behçet's disease. “It is difficult to really demonstrate to what extent it is affecting you in your daily life,” says Pablo, highlighting the lack of understanding suffered by many chronic patients and the lack of research due to the low prevalence of the pathology.

Overcoming the Last Obstacle

Pablo's walking adventure was interrupted by an unforeseen event unrelated to his illness: spider bite on foot forced him to enter the hospital, preventing him from completing the last stages on foot. However, his promise was unbreakable; He completed the final kilometers by bus, demonstrating that the spirit of improvement goes beyond physical fitness.

Pablo Hurtado's story is a beacon of hope and a moving testimony of resilience. His Path, traveled against the direction of tradition, is a powerful reminder that life is a constant pilgrimage, and that an open heart and determination are the best tools to keep moving forward, even when the odds are darkest.

• English Way passes 30,000 pilgrims
  The English Way has crossed a symbolic barrier before the end of the year. More than 30,000 pilgrims have already completed the Camino Inglés in 2026, allowing the route to surpass the total recorded during the whole of 2025 while there are still more than two months left before the end of the year. The… Read more: English Way passes 30,000 pilgrims
• Luján promotes religious tourism
  Luján has just taken a step that goes far beyond organizing a massive pilgrimage. The Argentine city wants to convert the experience accumulated over decades receiving millions of faithful into a model of cooperation between some of the great Marian sanctuaries in Latin America. The First Ibero-American Forum of Marian Cities, held on… Read more: Luján promotes religious tourism
• The sign that baffles pilgrims
  On the Camino de Santiago one soon learns to look at the signs. Yellow arrows, scallops, cairns and small indicators become inseparable companions for hundreds of kilometers. But in Vilamartín de Valdeorras, in the middle of the Camino de Invierno, a traffic sign has achieved precisely the opposite: attracting attention and causing surprise among those... Read more: The sign that baffles pilgrims
• Your debate or future of the Portuguese Road
  You will be transformed for two days into two main points of international reflection on the future of the Portuguese Road of Santiago. On November 5 and 6, more than twenty specialists from various countries will participate in the international colloquium “O Caminho Português: past, present and future of a singular Jacobean revolution”, a finding that… Read more: Your debate or future of the Portuguese Road
• Joy returns to the Camino accompanied
  For almost twenty years, Alegría Bernardino Sánchez was on the other side. It was she who accompanied people with disabilities or reduced mobility so that they could fulfill their dream of pilgrimage. The Camino de Santiago, Fátima or Lourdes were some of those destinations in which he helped others to continue moving forward when doing it alone was... Read more: Joy returns to the Camino accompanied