Laura's Grandfather

My father was an athlete when he was young. He was a runner and a rock climber. After I was born, he became busy with work and life in general, so he didn’t train much. That’s why on one of his climbs, he fell 15 metres to the ground. Before that, he’d never made any climbing mistakes and he’d never had an accident. This accident left my dad paralysed from the waist down. Doctors told him that he wouldn’t be able to walk again. 

 

This destroyed my father because it was difficult for him to accept the fact that he couldn’t use his legs any more. However, by the end of his first year in a wheelchair, he’d accepted this reality. He decided to join a sitting-volleyball team because he’d always had hope to overcome difficulties. By the end of his first year in the team, he’d become the top player. The coach of the national team invited him to the team because he’d seen my dad’s performance. That year, their team qualified for the Paralympic Games. My dad was in the Paralympics that year – something he’d never imagined.