"I felt that something bad was going to happen; unfortunately, I am paying for the mistake of my silence"

He has incredible maturity, honesty and humanity. Her words move you and her voice is so intimate, warm and soothing that it echoes in your ears even when she is not there.
The woman who was awarded by the White House as the first Cypriot quadriplegic mother, talks to ant1iwo about her life. The message he wants to convey is one: Stay strong, nothing should stop you!

 Tula Karatza states:
"I was born on 2/10/1966 in Nicosia and I have a sister. I had beautiful childhood years and I never wanted my student years to end. When I was a student, I was involved in modeling, taking photos for magazines and commercials. I studied accounting at a college in Nicosia while working in an accounting office. I was happy and I had a lot of dreams that unfortunately were lost early… 

My friends abandoned me. My parents went through the same stages I went through.

December 8, 1986… 

 With a large group of people, we went to a club. We had a good time, we had fun. In the end, we all left together in two cars. There were 5 of us in the car and I was a co-driver. I do not know but I had a strange feeling that night, I felt strongly that something bad was going to happen. Something inside me was telling me not to get in the car. Imagine then, the law did not require us to wear a seat belt but I wore it because of this fear I had. I did not tell the other children and unfortunately, now I am paying for the mistake of my silence…
  At one point the driver developed great speed, so for fun. However, he lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a stake of the EAC. The passengers from the back seats were in front. Fortunately all the children were fine, only me…  
 I spent 2 months in the General Hospital of Nicosia without knowing what I had. Nobody told me. When I went to a hospital in England I learned exactly what happened to me. My spine broke, leaving me with quadriplegia. I remember that moment, I said better to die. I cried non-stop for a week. My eyes were clouded with tears and I was in a permanent denial… 
 I stayed in England for almost 8 months. I underwent a series of surgeries to stabilize the spine, as well as treatments, with the result that I improved significantly both physically and psychologically, since in the afternoons I attended some seminars that were held for patients. There I learned to use hand aids to eat on my own, move my chair and write on my computer.

  When I returned to Cyprus…

My soul was "burning" like those first chaotic days. I felt lonely and afraid. I did not want to be seen, I could not accept my situation. I thought I was living a bad dream, a nightmare and that I would wake up and everything would be as it was before. Unfortunately, the reality was bitter and unjust. 
My friends abandoned me. My parents went through the same stages I went through. They could neither accept nor handle it. They did not know how to treat me. But they were always by my side, they did not miss a moment and I thank them from the bottom of my heart.
 My house was not comfortable and they had to build a separate room for me, that room was my personal prison for years. Unfortunately, then in Cyprus it was different, nothing accessible, nothing easy…
But at some point I had to find the strength to keep going, I had to stop feeling dead…
 I enrolled in college and chose the computer industry. I did physiotherapy and at the same time I was studying. I made new friends and 4 years after the accident, I met my husband. He was in the same company and. We fell in love. 
I was 3 months pregnant when we got married. In May 1992, I gave birth to my Sunday. Because until then she did not give birth to any quadriplegic girl in Cyprus, at the expense of the state, they sent me to give birth in England. I managed to give birth with a normal birth. In May 1993, I was awarded by the White House as the first Cypriot quadriplegic mother. 
 I always had a girl who took care of my child but every day I told him: "I can not take care of you but I am always by your side and I love you very much." We went to school together every day and in the afternoons, I was always by his side. We sang, played and enjoyed every moment. 
When she was 5 years old, she asked me why I was different from other moms. I explained to him. I always answered all his questions and told him: "The wheelchair is not a spaceship but the legs of a man who can not walk." 
My boy has grown up, he has finished his studies and I confess, he has never forgotten my words. 
  
  When I started the best race of my life…

The enlightenment of young people and society on road safety, I felt even stronger. As a member of the Road Safety Initiative Group, I visit, along with other representatives of relevant bodies, schools, camps, companies, organizations and talk about road accidents. I contribute in this way, in my own way, to the enlightenment for safe driving and that makes me very happy!
  People like me need to have someone always by their side to take care of them, only then can they move on, to continue living.  
  Today I feel good, of course, there are times when I am immersed in my darkness, in my sadness. But I find the strength to get up again. In the afternoons I volunteer to read to 3 children and this fills me, makes me happy. We must always find a way, to help ourselves feel good, to feel useful. I went through very difficult times, I had to "fight" countless times with myself. But I had love and that was what gave me the strength to keep going. 
Life my friends is so beautiful that if you smile at her, she will smile at you. If you want to move on, move on! Nothing should stop us. WE ARE ALL USEFUL IN THIS LIFE! Never forget that !!! ".