It seems like there’s a reason for everything that happens in our lives. Just ask Hernan Casciari, a well-known Argentine writer, and an Uruguayan couple by the name of Javier and Alejandra Artigas, who were about to become acquainted under the most unusual of circumstances. While staying at the Artigas’ rented villa in Montevideo, Uruguay, Hernan suffered a health setback that put his life in certain danger. But ironically, it was through this horrifying experience, an act of compassion, and an amazing online Airbnb review, that Javier Artigas got that opportunity he needed to dust off an app idea that would potentially save thousands of lives for travelers around the world.”Excellent house for sedentary travelers prone to myocardial infarctions. The area is beautiful and has direct access to the best hospitals.” That’s what Hernan had to say about Javier and Alejandra Artigas’ AirBnb, and the excellent service that saved his life.
“Javier and Alejandra instantly become guardian angels who will save your life without even knowing you. They will rush you to the hospital in their own car while you’re dying and stay in the waiting room while doctors give you a bypass. They don’t want you to feel lonely, they bring you books to read and they let you stay in their house extra nights without charging you. Highly recommend,” he added, after being released from the hospital and returning home to Argentina. Had it not been for their quick thinking, Hernan wouldn’t have lived to tell the tale.
While he was on vacation, he felt the onset of a heart attack, and the only people he knew in Uruguay were Javier and Alejandra, the owners of the villa he was staying in. You won’t get that kind of service everywhere else.
In moments, a police escort arrived at the villa to take Hernan to the hospital and the couple were at Hernan’s side the whole time. “They will rush you to the hospital in their own car while you’re dying and stay in the waiting room while doctors give you a bypass,” Hernan added.
Joe Gebbia, the co-founder of the Airbnb app that Hernan used, read the review, and decided to fly down to Montevideo to pay for Hernan’s hospital bills, and to meet the amazing Artigas family.
They assumed that Hernan might need a transfusion, so they volunteered to donate blood. In the process, they proved him and everyone at the hospital that their generosity knew no bounds.
You see, Javier, suffers from kidney disease and has to undergo dialysis every week to survive. Once, he had gone to Argentina but was unable to get his dialysis treatment, which nearly killed him. So, he considered creating an app that would link travelers to medical care.
After the medical emergency Hernan had gone through, Javier decided to turn his app, called Connectus, into a reality. But with Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia in front of him, Javier decided to pitch the idea of his app to him and Joe decided to turn that dream into a reality.
Ironically, the app would have never taken off had it not been for the terrifying ordeal that Hernan Casciari had gone through. This makes Javier very happy, because he not only gets to help others through his app, but he and his wife have made a long-lasting friend with Hernan.
