Portraits
Look at abilities: George
George had an accident 22 years ago, following a dive in the Siret river. Having a spinal cord injury and being diagnosed with tetraplegia at only 19 years old, he initially went through a critical period, in which he faced his different medical condition and his activity limitations, on the one hand, and the fear of permanently depending on someone else, on the other hand. Then he began to recover, which helped him to become more and more confident and made it easier for him to adapt to this new reality.
With the help of the team at Motivation Romania Foundation, he developed more and more independent living skills: “slowly I started to dress up on my own, to put on my shoes. Maybe for someone else these would seem normal things, very easy, but for me it was very difficult. All my colleagues around me were telling me to trust myself in order to succeed. At first, I could not do it, but, as time passed, after a few weeks, I succeeded. We were starting the program around 8 in the morning, but I used to wake up at 5 am, so I had time to take a shower, to get dressed. It all seemed very difficult at first – I used to fell, to only put on one sock instead of two, but after three hours I was finally ready for a new day. ”
After a while, he was asked by the Foundation if he wanted to be part of the Motivation Romania team. He continued to attend independent living training sessions, where wheelchair users from all over the country come in order to learn to became active again. George became an independent living trainer. “I also shared my experience in order to teach other people to be active, in the same way that my colleagues had previously taught me. For me, this is a great joy.”
Since 2010, George has been part of the Motivation Foundation’s team in Galati, where he was one of the first employees. At first, he was an active rehabilitation trainer, and then he became the coordinator of the local team. He is married to Andreea, who is also part of the team.
George pays a visit to Mircea, one of the participants in the Motivation projects. George’s program includes home visits for people who need wheelchairs, to whom he recommends the right equipment and shares his experience to guide them in an active life.
Take a look below, at some pictures showing a day from George’s life.
George’s story has been documented in the ‘Advocacy for Wheelchair Community Access’ project. The project is implemented by Motivation Romania Foundation in partnership with Segoia Association, with the financial support of Active Citizens Fund Romania, a program financed by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA Grants 2014-2021. The project aims to support the social inclusion of people with disabilities by improving the mobility and health of wheelchair users.
More information about the project can be found by accessing the link https://motivation.ro/abilitatile-si-drepturile-conteaza/.
Working together for an inclusive Europe.
Text: Bogdan Dincă, Erika Garnier
Photos: Bogdan Dincă
Alex’s story
Alex recently turned 4 years old. He is a cheerful and bright child, always with a smile on his face and in his eyes.
Delia, his mother, enrolled him in a rehab center early last year. Due to the pandemic, the center was closed for most of 2020, and this year it opened starting September.
Alex lights up everything around with his smile.
At the center, Alex does physical therapy, draws, eats and plays on the field outside, where his favorite activity is to rock. After the program, he leaves for home with Delia. Sometimes, if the weather is cold or rainy, the two use the bus, but most of the time Delia walks, with Alex by her side, in the wheelchair received from Motivation. It gives him a lot more independence and he can move around in it easily, compared to the pram he used more of before he got in touch with Motivation. In addition, “all kinds of comments are heard on the street, other children call him baby if they see him in the pram.”
Alex prefers to move around in the wheelchair because he is independent and can explore more.
Delia learned about Motivation Foundation from other parents at the center. Before he got the wheelchair, Alex depended on his mother for every move he wanted to make: “mommy, mommy, take me to the kitchen, take me there. After a while, he stopped saying anything, wherever you put him, there he stayed, and I noticed that he was getting sadder and sadder. I called Motivation, explained the situation and someone from them came to our house. He measured Alex and soon we had the wheelchair adapted for him.”
Because he is growing, this year Alex received a second wheelchair from Motivation, according to his needs, through the Wheelchair Fund program.
Alex, very happy that he has another meeting with his friends and that another visit to the park is announced.
Alex was born in Italy, where his mother was away at work. By 11 months, his motor development seemed normal. Then Delia noticed that Alex was not standing well anymore. At the visit to the pediatrician, however, he was told that it was normal and not to worry. A few months later, the regression was, however, more and more visible, so Delia came to Romania with him and went for a check-up with a neurologist. Following a genetic test, Alex was diagnosed with Spinal Amyotrophy type II, and today he is undergoing treatment with Spinraza, having injections every four months.
At home, Alex is an active child: he draws, plays, helps Delia clean and moves around the house either in a wheelchair or with a tricycle. If the weather is nice, he goes out to one of the two nearby playgrounds.
Alex has more freedom of movement since using a wheelchair and is enjoying it by trying out new activities, including helping his mother clean.
He really likes the company of other children and enjoys every meeting with the kindergarten gang. In the company of the collegiate and teaching ladies, he participates in all the activities – even the game of hopscotch has been adapted so that Alex can join in.
Joy in the park.
Below are some images that capture Alex on a typical day, generously sharing his smile and innocence.
The story of Alex was written within the project “Advocacy for community access for wheelchair users”, implemented by Motivation Romania Foundation in partnership with Segoia Association, with financial support of Active Citizens Fund Romania, a program funded by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the SEE Grants 2014-2021. The project aims to support the social inclusion of people with disabilities by improving the mobility and health of wheelchair users.
More information about the project can be found by accessing the link https://motivation.ro/en/abilities-and-rights-matter/.
Working together for an inclusive Europe.
Story written by: Bogdan Dinca, Erika Garnier
Pictures: Bogdan Dinca
Stefania’s story
“We are going forward; you have to learn to live with what you have.”
For Stefania, happiness is the easiest to find in small things, and her family brings her the greatest satisfaction. She is the mother of four children – the eldest daughter is 22 years old, and the youngest, 11.
She believes that we all learn from the situations we go through, from the good things and also from the ones not so good. She is a nurse by profession, so she is used to handling difficult situations. She doesn’t like to complain, preferring to make the best of everything that happens to her, and she believes that we are responsible for our choices.
In October 2011, Ștefania had an accident: she was hit by a cart, and her spine was fractured at the level of the L1 vertebra, in the lumbar area. Since then, she uses a wheelchair. Strong and confident, with her husband and children nearby – the youngest, 1 year old at the time of the accident – Ștefania relearned to do all things, this time in a different way. She goes through all the days boldly and doesn’t give up anything she likes: walks in nature, traveling, preparing delicious desserts or her handiwork, which decorates almost every corner of her house.
Nature, faith and handwork are Stefania’s refuges.
The lack of accessibility for people in wheelchairs bothers her and she notices every time things are not as they should be. She lived and worked in Spain in the past and remembers accessibility not being a problem there. It was natural to see wheelchair users everywhere in the community.
At the time of the accident, it was difficult for Stefania and her husband. They lived with four small children in the city, on the second floor, in a block of flats, but over time they managed to build a house in Maramureș county, outside the city, with the help of family and friends. So everything became easier. The two spouses adapted the new home for Stefania’s needs. They enjoy being close to nature and nothing seems tastier than vegetables and fruits picked from their garden.
Stefania, at her home, enjoying being close to nature.
Last year, in June, Stefania walked with her husband 700 kilometers on the famous Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route, one of the oldest routes of its kind in Europe, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. On the way, Ștefania used a handbike received from Motivation, which connects to the wheelchair and is helpful for traveling on long roads, on different types of surfaces.
They traveled between Romania and Spain for two days by coach, because the flights were canceled due to the pandemic. “On the first day on the Camino, in Pamplona, it was very difficult, a bad stone road and we also got caught in the rain. It was also difficult to find accommodation, most of them were closed. We walked for days and did not meet any other pilgrims. It’s very hard, mentally, not only physically, to walk so much, but it’s worth it.”
Stefania and her husband, enjoying a walk in nature.
Next year they want to continue their journey, this time on Portugal’s part of the Camino, a route of around 1,000 kilometers. Until then, the two spouses explore beautiful places in Romania and write about their experiences on the blog Călătorim cu roti, on Instagram and Facebook. “I want to show people that the isolation of disabled people is just an internal personal conditioning, and if you want something, you can really achieve it: you can travel, you can go to the sea or the mountains, you can do anything,” says Ștefania.
In recent years, Ștefania has been a volunteer mentor in Motivation team and has provided independent living guidance over the phone to other women who have recently started using wheelchairs.
Stefania laughs as she does all things – with zest for life.
Below, some images that capture Stefania on a typical day, enjoying her family, their home and all the good things life has to offer.
The story of Stefania was written within the project “Advocacy for community access for wheelchair users”, implemented by Motivation Romania Foundation in partnership with Segoia Association, with financial support of Active Citizens Fund Romania, a program funded by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the SEE Grants 2014-2021. The project aims to support the social inclusion of people with disabilities by improving the mobility and health of wheelchair users.
More information about the project can be found by accessing the link https://motivation.ro/en/abilities-and-rights-matter/.
Working together for an inclusive Europe.
Story written by: Bogdan Dinca, Erika Garnier
Pictures: Bogdan Dinca
Dana’s story
“Life in a wheelchair is normal!”
Dana likes to be active and independent throughout the day: “I put the clothes in the washing machine, take the dryer out on the balcony, lay them out, sweep, cook, go shopping, to the post office, wherever I need to go.”
In her own way, she makes all these things seem simple. She dresses them all in naturalness and love of life, two of her main features, obvious at first sight.
For Dana, who is now 36 years old, the fact that she uses a wheelchair is just one miscellaneous fact, among others. She’s been like that for as long as she’s known, and her family has always treated her like the other siblings and encouraged her to do whatever she wanted.
Dana, preparing the meal for herself and her husband, Ioan.
From birth, Dana was unable to use her legs. “I never considered myself different. The children, like all children, discriminated against me, shouted after me, but I didn’t lack anything. My brothers played with me and that was enough for me. I only did four grades, because my parents couldn’t take me to school, being far away, and I couldn’t find teachers to come to my home. But I learned English by myself and the rest I learned side by side with my brothers. My mother always told me there’s no I can’t, so I learned to do a lot of things.”
Dana met Ioan on the Internet 14 years ago. At that time, he lived with his mother and brothers in Harghita. John visited her and was impressed, as he says, by “the life she has in her.” They got married and moved to Tălmaciu together. In their home, Dana has left her mark everywhere – at every step you come across a positive quote, a cheerful sticker. Dana feels good here and lives a natural, “unspectacular” life, as she says. People seem friendly to her, they don’t make her feel different.
Dana, holding the door for the gentleman who brings bread to the shop next door.
She likes to fish and releases caught fish back into the water. She doesn’t miss any opportunity to walk in nature and enjoy the colors of each season. She loves going to basketball and football games, where she cheers for the local teams.
Since 2015, she has been using the wheelchair received from Motivation, which replaced an old, much larger, heavy and uncomfortable mobility device. She quickly learned to use the new wheelchair with the help of the foundation team at the active recovery camp she attended. Since then, she has gained freedom and independence on the go. She didn’t miss an opportunity to participate in sports events with #TeamMotivation to prove once again that skills matter.
Dana transfers to the car. Her husband assists her, but does not intervene unless she asks him to.
As her husband, Ioan, says, “with her I learned one important thing: not to help unless asked.”
Below are some images that capture Dana on a typical day, going about her business, focusing on her skills and enjoying life.
The story of Dana was written within the project “Advocacy for community access for wheelchair users”, implemented by Motivation Romania Foundation in partnership with Segoia Association, with financial support of Active Citizens Fund Romania, a program funded by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the SEE Grants 2014-2021. The project aims to support the social inclusion of people with disabilities by improving the mobility and health of wheelchair users.
More information about the project can be found by accessing the link https://motivation.ro/en/abilities-and-rights-matter/.
Working together for an inclusive Europe.
Story written by: Bogdan Dinca, Erika Garnier
Pictures: Bogdan Dinca