Gugelmin coping well with disabled child

Mike Harris

Thursday, June 8, 2000 | 8:48 a.m.

Mauricio Gugelmin's twin boys were born 27 minutes and worlds apart.

Bernardo arrived healthy 2 minutes before midnight on July 13, 1994. When Guiliano came along at 12:25 a.m. on July 14, Mauricio and Stella Gugelmin immediately saw that all was not right.

Birth defects left the second child a quadriplegic and with a form of cerebral palsy. Since the day of his birth, Guiliano has required 24-hour care.

"On that particular date, we were happy and we were sad at the same time," said the father, a driver in the CART series. "We had a lot of hope that things were going to turn to the better."

Gugelmin (pronounced GOO-jel-min) said that hope lasted only about 45 days, until it was established that nothing could be done to reverse Guiliano's condition.

"It's amazing how you become involved with how the human body works and how the bones grow, and about the brain and all that," Gugelmin said. "I became pretty much an expert on that just to try to understand."

It could have been a crushing blow to a couple who spent 11 years traveling around the world in Formula One before deciding to start a family.

"We got married really young," said the Brazilian known as Big Mo. "We had a terrific time doing stuff that you can only do when you don't have commitments with children.

"Certainly, it changes your life a lot. Your focus and your understanding about life is a little bit different."

The Gugelmins kept Guiliano's needs in mind when designing their three-story Miami home, which has an elevator and all the medical equipment needed to sustain him.

"We both decided the best thing we could do was to give him love and the most comfortable life he could get, whatever that life is," Gugelmin said. "I think God gives those missions for people that can take it.

"The point is that we have two very special children. And now we have another one on the way, which is kind of nice."

The baby, a boy to be named Gabriel, is due in about five weeks.

There was some anxiety for both parents when Stella became pregnant this time. But Mauricio said that was only momentary.

"We feel we're in very good professional hands," he said. "The doctor we have is familiar with the history and the problems we had. We feel very good about it."

A saving grace is that 5-year-old Bernardo has dealt well with his brother's situation. That was a big concern from the start for Gugelmin.

"He knows that they were born together and Guiliano had an accident during birth and that he's not going to be or do much more than he has done so far," Gugelmin said. "That's how we put it.

"The funny thing is how Guiliano reacts to Bernardo. He could be in bed, quiet and all that, and Bernardo walks through the room, gets close to him and he will smile. They still have that connection as twins."

Meanwhile, the Gugelmins go on with their lives. Stella raises her boys - with help from an aunt from Brazil who volunteered to come to the United States to help care for Guiliano - and Big Mo still races hard at 37.

After two years of decline in the CART points race, Gugelmin has shown flashes of being on the road to regaining the form of 1997, when he got his lone victory while finishing fourth in the series standings.

Gugelmin ran second May 27 in Nazareth, Pa., then 11th Monday at The Milwaukee Mile. He is 14th in the standings, but only seven points from the top 10.

John Anderson, the PacWest Racing team manager, admires Gugelmin for the way he has handled his situation.

"The guy's got a very positive attitude, whether it's his racing or his personal life," Anderson said. "I think that is what's pulled him through this. I've never heard him once complain about his lot."

Gugelmin has no problem concentrating on his driving. But he takes greater notice of disabled fans at the track.

"Because of our problem at home, I have a lot more feeling for any person with some disability," he said.

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On the Net:

Gugelmin: http://www.pacwestracing.com/