"Because some people are just so special, that it is worth living, just to meet them, someday…" Tassos Livaditis
A very special person, decent and proud. A lavender that impresses without seeking it. He is especially loved by the people of Limassol, because he managed to transmit to them the inner strength and positive energy he has and especially the will for change and improvement. We are always shocked by the power of his soul, the zeal for new and innovative things that make the lives of people with mobility problems easier.
Christ has learned from birth to fight for the different side of life. For him there is no losing or winning, I only fight…
Christos Loizou reports to ant1iwo:
"I was born on 18/12/1973 in Limassol. When I was born, my right foot was much shorter, with a much smaller foot, the knee was severely deformed and I had only 3 toes.
When I was 13 months old, I went to an Israeli hospital. I had to walk με We resorted to the solution of additional members. Not many people knew what additional members were then, as did mine. In recent years, the whole issue has become more prominent.
Until I was hospitalized, we lived in the Patriarchate of Jerusalem. I went to Israel 3 times and when I was 9, I went to America. There the doctors decided that amputation was necessary. I had a hard time but I managed…
I went to America 7 times and had to do several surgeries. The truth is, the doctors and nurses there were different, they really loved us and gave us strength and courage every day. Each time, I stayed in the hospital for at least 4 months and saw children with much worse problems. I always told myself that I should not be sad because God is always by my side and that there are children who suffer much more.
At the age of 16, I had an operation in Cyprus, they put a foreign sole on me. Unfortunately, he did not succeed. The sole is the part of the foot that receives the most loads and because the operation was not successful and I was giving more weight to my other foot, a problem was created with the result that it also has to be operated.
I went to America and when I came back, after 4 months, I went back to school normally.
Unfortunately I missed the year because I missed absences. I did the same class again and at 19, I went to America to get the platinum I had on my left foot.
My parents divorced when I was very young. I grew up with my mom and sister. I always had their love and care, I did not feel alone for a moment. I never experienced racism, not even at school, and I never let my disability become an obstacle in my life. I never hid my leg and I was always very active.
At the age of 12, I enrolled in the Cyprus Scout Corps. I even managed to become a herd leader (the children were 7 to 10 years old). In 1993 I started playing throwing (shot put-discus) and participated in competitions abroad. I went to Greece, England, Holland, Germany and Belgium. 6 years ago, I got into basketball. The truth is, wheelchair basketball is a very exciting sport…
When we talk about wheelchair basketball, you do not only have to manage your body, you also have to manage the volume of the wheelchair. So you have to play with both your body and the area covered by the wheelchair on the court. These 2 in combination, on a court that has the same dimensions as regular basketball, as you understand limit space and thus become even more competitive as a sport. There are the "phases" between the athletes, the "contras" that are very exciting and offer a spectacle worth seeing.
I love cycling…
Simultaneously with basketball, I started cycling. Since October 2016, I am on the board of the Cyprus Cycling Federation. It is basically the first time in Cyprus that there is a person with a disability in the council.
After the event we did on 11/6/2017, in collaboration with the Embassy of Israel and OPAK (Cyprus Paraplegics Organization), we managed to create the first Paragliding team in Cyprus.
I work every day with a single goal…
All people with disabilities to engage in sports, whether in the sport of wheelchair basketball or other sports, as a means of our reintegration into society. Every day I tell everyone that basketball has no limits. Anyway, he never had. This is because the sport is not only suitable for members but also for people with various forms of disabilities.
Nothing, my friends, stops us, as long as we want it and believe it, then we will succeed. You may not believe me but I have never had a complaint from life. I always believed that everything happens for a reason… ".
Source: ant1iwo.com