Striving to Conquer

When Mike Nemesvary, a world class freestyle skier became Quadriplegic at the age of 24, understandably his life came to a monentary standstill. This happened, just when he was at the top of his career. At the time of his accident, Nemesvary ranked third in the world with as many as three world cups, 10 Canadian and five British titles. That was in 1985. Now 16 years later, Nemesvary put the ghosts behind to gear up for a challenge - of being the first quadriplegic to drive around the world.

And Nemesvary has almost proved it to the world. In a specially modified Chevorlet Blazer truck, he has covered 17,000 km of the total distance of 40,553 km through 16 countries to be covered in the five months. India is his 12th stop, after his team of five members covered Ireland, Scotland, England, France, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Iran and Pakistan in the past two-and-a-half months, starting March 20, 2001.

For Nemesvary, geography mattered when the trip was planned. "I not only waned to cross the physical barriers, but also break the cultural barriers," he said.

Which meant that he undertook a detailed study to understand the various cultures. But there were myths to be shattered. "I thought of Pakistan as a dark unsafe place. But while passing through the country, I realised that people were far more patient and tolerant. I found spirituality in Pakistan," he said. And it is spirituality that brings him to India as well. "Considering that it was on May 18 that I met with the accident, it evokes both negative and positive emotions. And I wanted to be in India because I felt that I will get my peace of mind in this country," he said. After Delhi, the team will visit Agra, Sagar (MP), Nagpur, Hyderabad, Vijaywada and Chennai, before leaving for Sydney.

Overcoming the physical challenge apart, Nemesvary is playing an ambassador of Canada and the world in terms of information sharing and networking with rehabilitation and research centres. "My main aim is to create awareness about spinal cord injuries, for I have realised that not many able-bodied people know about the hardships faced by paraplegics," he said. The trip, which has been sponsored by Pfizer, General Motors of Canada and actor Christopher Reeve, will culminate in a fund-raising exercise. "We aim to raise US $ 10 million for the spinal cord research and rehabilitation so we may find a cure to this disability," he said.

Source: Times of India, 30 June, 2001