yoocan - Tomer Keller - My Hard Road to Victory
OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES

My Hard Road to Victory

Stroke (CVA)

Tomer Keller

It turned out I had a brain stroke

Hello my name is Tomer. I am 28 years old. I am a surfer and swimmer with gold medals. I won the national swimming competitions for the disabled. I have a gym trainer certificate from the Wingate Institute. As long as I can remember, I have always loved sports. I have played soccer, basketball, running and mainly used to climb trees, but 17 years ago when I was 11, it seemed that everything was lost. It was the first day of sixth grade. My last year of elementary school it was a very hot day in the afternoon. My friends and I went to play football in the playground of school. Suddenly, I fell hard to the ground, I felt very dizzy and I could not get up. It turned out I had a brain stroke.

A new journey for me

It was the moment that marked the beginning of a journey that I continue today. For the first three weeks I walked in the twilight of consciousness. After the ICU, against the opinion of doctors, I remained alive and moved to the Levinshtien Rehabilitation Center. I was silent, I could not move my right hand which was paralyzed. My willpower and the hard work they gave me, helped me return home after a year and a half. I could walk again, speak and move my hand partially. In cognitive test the drift I had in my brain destroyed some additional capabilities, such as the ability to do math and understand statistics and gave me attention and concentration problems.

To be a victim was not an option!

I my thought I had looked for the meaning of this in my life. It was hard for me to accept what landed on me, trying to figure out why it happened to me I thought that no girl would want me the way I am. It was very hard for me to part with complete control over half of my body especially since before the event I was an outstanding athlete. To be a victim was not an option! My personal wars did not stop for a moment, starting from staying in regular school, to go through physiotherapy every day, pass a number of surgeries in my hand and finally learn to get along with what is possible and what is not.

Every period and challenge I pass takes me forward in understanding the limitations

Next thing was to join the army. After six years of difficulties and delays I wad able to volunteer and join a combat unit called Sting as a Combat Support Team Soldier. I really liked the service there. Then, I signed up at Ruppin College to study for BA Degree and and finished successfully with an academic diploma. Every period and challenge I pass takes me forward in understanding the limitations that I have and how to deal with them or how to get around them. I know to insist on doing things, which indicates to me that I can do anything I want. I'm here today to tell you that I would not choose a stroke, but if something hard happened or will happen unexpectedly, you can turn it into a force that drives you in life and requires you to search for new meaning. Thank you very much.

Tags:

EMPOWER OTHERS!

Share this story to help change someone's life

WELCOME TO YOOCAN

THE GLOBAL COLLABORATIVE COMMUNITY FOR SHARING EXPERIENCES AND KNOWLEDGE BY AND FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, SO NO ONE FEELS ALONE.

BY CREATING AN ACCOUNT YOU AGREE TO THE TERMS OF SERVICE ANDPRIVACY POLICY.