Every day we whine and find our lives imperfect. We are always missing something for full happiness, we are angry with filled minibusses, drivers on the roads, grouchy neighbors, more expensive sugar, and off-season.
so we rarely thank life for waking up again today. An interview with the champion of Ukraine Andriy Kravchuk, who on one sunny day lost everything that had previously seemed ordinary and self-evident, gave me a good pendel and made me stop constantly complaining.
Once on Instagram, a guy with a cute profile picture knocked on my door. I went to his profile and hung out for about 10 minutes for sure. His name is Andrey Kravchuk, he is only 23 years old, and he already knows what success is, and that the sky has no favorites – exactly as Erich Maria Remarque wrote. At the age of 18, by an absurd accident, the champion of Ukraine got into a wheelchair but does not stop fighting for a full life.
This interview could have come out earlier, but it was not easy for me to gather my courage and release it, because it will be about an incredible person who loves life in such a way that you and I should learn from him. Despite the difficult fate and daily trials, the guy does not give up and does not stop smiling.
Andrei told how his life changed in one day, what his disability taught him, about suicidal thoughts, and how to remain a happy person.
- You are the champion of Ukraine. In what sport? How did sport come into your life? Tell us about your career, and achievements?
He started playing sports at the age of 7 – athletics. The first coach is Kirilov Sergey Alexandrovich, now a well-deserved coach of Ukraine, he signed me up in the group, and I was looking forward to training after training, I always did more than necessary, not because I wanted to be a favorite or seem the coolest of all, but simply desire to train from the heart, doubly.
I won my first championship in Ukraine which was held in 2007 in Transcarpathia, the city of Mukachevo. After a couple more. He began to live and train at the sports school from the 6th grade when everyone was taken only from the 8th.
At the age of 15, he switched from athletics to boxing and began to seriously engage in this sport. He brought up in me the character of a fighter: a minimum of pity and cowardice – this helps in life.
Unfortunately, my sports history ended at the age of 18…
- Tell us about the tragic event that divided life into before and after?
The case was on June 13, 2015, at about 12 noon. I went to the sea with my friends. Frankly, I did not want to go there at all … They did come. Swimming was not part of my plans, I only gave advice to the guys, they say, don’t jump there – it’s shallow. And soon it became boring, he also decided to “wet his feet”, accelerated and jumped “pike”.
After he dived, he hit his head hard on the bottom and heard some kind of crack. I didn’t feel any pain, I was completely conscious, but I didn’t understand why I didn’t feel the body. Stayed underwater for two minutes. When there was no air at all, luckily a friend came and lifted me up.
Realizing that something was wrong, I asked the guys to call an ambulance. After I was brought to the hospital, it turned out that I had a fracture-dislocation at the level from c3 to c4 of the cervical spine, an extensive bruise, and swelling of the spinal cord.
I didn’t feel anything below chest level. After 2 days, I was transferred to the Kherson Regional Hospital, where I stayed for 2 months, 24 of them in intensive care under an artificial respiration apparatus. It was, to put it mildly, horror! Then, it seemed, I was in hell: I had operations on my neck, throat, and, in general, a lot of unpleasant, but necessary procedures at that time, I especially remember when they repeatedly screwed screws into my head.
- What were the doctors’ predictions?
No forecasts were given, everyone repeated with one voice, it only takes time, and then it will be seen. Of course, there were those who said that this was a sentence for life. I am inclined to believe that only time can really decide something because this is an unpredictable injury: you can recover in 10 years, but you can never
- Who and what helps you return to normal life?
Parents help, of course, relatives, friends, and girlfriends. Luckily, I still have real people.
- What are the prospects for your physical recovery now?
It’s hard to talk about the prospects, I just do my job, do the necessary procedures, and exercise therapy to keep myself in good shape and be ready for future new technologies, if necessary and possible.
- Despite the pain you’ve been through, the smile on your face never fades. Tell me how to learn to love life after such a turning point?
Life is complicated and unpredictable, and the fact that you cry will not change anything. Learning to love life is impossible – it has to be inside. I have, I’m lucky.
- What are you doing now? Where do you work/study? What are you dreaming about?
I don’t study anywhere, I do rehabilitation, I go through it at home, I enjoy life, and then it will be seen. Perhaps something will change, we’ll see.
- Can you give advice to people who are in the same or similar situation as you?
If we talk about people with serious injuries, after which they cannot walk or move, then I noticed that many close in on themselves, often do not want to live, they sit at home for days, days, years! .. I know this, well, I chose life with its realities, whatever they may be.
If you give up, it won’t get any easier. Take what you have as a second chance. And if God has already given it to you, push your limits to the end.
In a fit of anger, there were bad thoughts, of course, and this is normal, but you should not give up and think about suicide. Everyone who finds himself in such a situation begins to think: “Why did this happen to me?”, But few people ask the question, why, for example, is someone already disabled from birth? What is the fault of those who had no choice?
I think it is not necessary to anger God, complain about life and look for reasons for something or someone! All that is necessary and makes sense is to say to yourself, “We are taking the fight.”
- What irritates a person with a disability: pity, sympathetic looks, unnatural behavior, etc.? That is, tell us how not to behave?
The people around me do not feel sorry for me and are not afraid to touch me with something, I just do not give them a reason to behave this way toward me. I communicate with people on the same level, pity for me is the worst thing that can be.
- Are you a happy person?
Yes, strangely enough, yes! I think here is a big thank you to my mother, she makes me happy, the word mother is synonymous with the word happiness for me. If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t have been there for sure. 🙂
- Why do you say that? Do you mean suicidal thoughts?
Yes, this topic was close to me too. It’s a pity that so little is said about it.
Someone leaves our world every 40 seconds, the suicide rate is 3 times higher in men than in women. One of the reasons many young people die by suicide is because they have no one to talk to about their feelings.
Listening to someone talk about their problems is not always easy, but you are not asked to provide a solution to these problems. The most important thing is to listen to what you are told. Show the person that you care.
We need to learn to empathize, not just sympathize. The difference is that empathy says, “I understand how you feel, and that’s terrible!”, while empathy is, “I see that you don’t feel well. But you can do it, I will help!”.
When faced with thoughts of suicide, it was, it seems to me, an understandable reaction of a person in such a position. I was just in a fit of anger and drunk with grief, but even if I tried to do something with myself, I still would not succeed. There was always someone to talk to, open up and understand that I was needed here.
More needs to be said on this subject. Just ask the person how their day goes. A simple couple of sentences can save someone’s life.
- It seems to me that, despite your disability, you absolutely lack self-confidence and female attention? Where do you get inner strength?
This is not an inner strength at all, I just have no complexes. The main thing is to be yourself. By the way, I had no problems with girls either when I was healthy, or now.
- Posner question: if you were in front of God, what would you say to him?
Serious question. I think I would say that I want to walk a little more and ask what I need to do for this. 🙂 And, of course, I would say to him: “Thank you for all the troubles and victories!”.