Main is move forward!

We love telling our clients’ stories and this one is without a doubt a special one too. Our story is about an inspirational guy who doesn’t give up hope of finding like-minded people to build a team.

Sokol Taras was born in the village of Chernizh, in Volyn. He was born with two legs, however, the left one was shorter than the right. For the first nine years Taras walked almost fully, just limping slightly. However, the older the young man became, the difference in leg length became greater. Once Taras fell on his left leg and after that he could not stand on it.

From the age of five or six he wore different prostheses, but not very good quality ones, so at the age of nine he started to use crutches, on which he has been jumping for more than 16 years.

At the age of ten Taras went to a sanatorium. There he tried to play soccer on crutches for the first time. A year later he accidentally met the legend of Ukrainian amp soccer – Anatolii Medvediuk, who invited Taras to Volyn team.

At the age of 15 Taras went to the Open Ukrainian Championship, where the Volyn team competed with Kyiv, Kharkiv, Cherkassy.

In 2019 Taras moved to Poland, where he lived for two years, training with the Legia team that organized an amp soccer section in Warsaw. While in Poland, he trained with the team twice a week and regularly played in Polish Amputee Football Championship!

In 2021 Taras returned to his homeland. Firstly, to his native Lutsk, then to Odesa. Even in a city where there is no team and quality soccer infrastructure freely available, nevertheless the young man is engaged individually: he runs on crutches twice a week and plays soccer with teenagers on the asphalt. Returning to Ukraine has not put a cross on the career of the amputee football player. Taras regularly flies to Poland for tournaments, where he fulfills his childhood dream of being a soccer player.

– My trainings are hard, but they are hard not physically, but mentally. Like any person on crutches, I am constantly looked at with a sidelong glance. This once hurt me a lot. However, with the help of soccer and my life experience in Poland, I see myself not as a disabled, but as an athlete who is looked at and applauded. It is very pleasant for me. – Taras says.

– It happens that children 3-5 years old point their fingers: “Oh, the uncle without a leg has left”. If earlier that offended me, but now I realize that this child will ask his parents why so, and parents will think well before answering: “Indeed, why so?”. They’ll reflect that there are other people out there – and that’s already cool. This is also a certain mission. It has definitely made me stronger! For I know for sure that people who wish you well will always push you forward.

– I have always been inspired by people who have moved on despite physical barriers. That’s how I met many of our Paralympic biathlon athletes at one time. I started reading more and became fascinated by people who embrace themselves with physical limitations, sharing themselves in networks. That’s how I found out about the Tellus Center.

In August I had the opportunity to find a new interesting job and move to Odesa, where I came to Tellus for advice and became a client of your center. The technicians repaired my old prosthesis quite quickly and qualitatively and consulted me on getting a new one.

How do I motivate myself? I set myself specific goals, I don’t stay at home 24/7. When I have time, I play soccer with the schoolchildren or read.

Of course, it is hard to be in the environment where everyone has hands and legs, specifically in our society. Everyone perceives you as a person with a disease. But these are not diseases: and amputated leg or hand will not grow back 🙂 You need to accept yourself, understand that you are as you are and this is your peculiarity. And in any case this is not bad, just difference. If you do not accept yourself then the society will not accept. The main thing is to move forward and believe in yourself!