Wojtek CZYZ
PARA ATHLETE (SL 3)
Country: New Zealand
Place of Birth: Wodzislaw, Poland
Date of Birth: 30 July 1980
Specialist Event(s): Men’s Singles
Height: 176cm
Education: N/A
Language(s): English, German, Polish, Italian, French
Play L or R: Right
Sporting Achievements:
- 2023 Oceania Para Singles & Doubles Champion
Sporting Ambitions: Paris 2024
Idols: M. Ali
Biography:
On September 15th, 2001 in the last match for my non-professional club, VfR Grünstadt, I was entirely happy that I will soon become a player in the third division. But on the other side it hurt to leave behind my teammates and my coach who advanced me a lot.
We played against the team of Niederauerbach. Shortly after the half-time break, someone squared a long ball to me, I sprinted after the ball into the eighteen-yard area…When I realized that the ball was out of reach and the goalkeeper was faster, I tried to hop over him – but he hit me directly with his outstretched leg and at full tilt on my knee. I will never forget this moment.
The ambulance was called immediately and as early as that, the first mistakes were made. Everything what could possibly break in my knee, it was broken. My foot was pulseless. The paramedics didn’t notice that, otherwise they would have directly call a doctor. I was brought to the hospital in Grünstadt where they diagnosed the severe injury – compartment syndrome! This means that from the knee down nothing was supplied with blood.
This injury had to be operated within 6 hours or the whole tissues in my leg would die and the leg would need to be amputated. In Grünstadt, there was no vascular surgeon available at the time so they brought me to Kaiserslautern. But in Kaiserslautern they were occupied due to another emergency case. After two hours they told my father that it would be better to bring me to the University hospital in Homburg where there could be a vascular surgeon available.
Until today I do not know if I was really operated by a vascular surgeon. At around 3:45 p.m. the goalkeeper hit me and at 1 a.m. I underwent surgery – much too late to save my leg.
After one week in Homburg I moved to a hospital in Mainz because I realized that doctors in Homburg were unable to cope with my situation. In Mainz, the doctors gave their best and they cared about me. But after one week, the leg was necrotic from the knee down and the only hard step that remained for them was the amputation.
Interesting Fact: I love to try new things, current world record holder in Freediving. Love spearfishing and enjoy nature.
