Six Time Wheelchair Champion Nurtured by Hesed

By Eugenie own confession, he has two lives: The first one given by his mother, and the second granted by the doctor who saved him after a near-fatal bike accident.

Eugenie was on duty as a road inspector on a typical day in 1976. Nearing evening time there were many drunk drivers, one of whom was doing pirouettes on his bike and ignored Eugenie's request for him to stop. Eugenie immediately mounted his "Ural" bike, nicknamed "the bee" by road inspectors for its velocity and maneuverability. Tailing the offender on one of the turns, Eugenie's bike spun out of the control and flushed into the air.

Eugenie woke in an Intensive Care Unit impaled, covered in blood, and seriously injured. Doctors worked to reset his fractured bones, and gave to Eugenie their diagnosis: he had a broken spine with paralysis in his lower body. His life momentarily stopped. He was overcome with apathy, complete indifference. Then, as he began to accept the idea that he would not be able to walk again, he contemplated suicide; He was sure his wife and young daughter would be better off without having him as a burden. Ultimately, though, he chose to push forward.

For nearly 15 years after the accident, Eugenie fought against his lower-body paralysis by training his arms and shoulders. Through this training and other activity, he began meeting other people with whom he not only exchanged stories of hardship, but also bonded over their will to live. Eugenie was also grateful for the constant support of his mother. He reequipped his old car, a "Moskvich", so it could be controlled manually, and started traveling all over the USSR. He covered 13,000 kilometers, along the way participating in wheelchair races in Moscow and making friends throughout the Baltic countries. Eugenie came back home with a desire to live and to help others facing challenging disabilities.

Upon his return, Eugenie contacted his local JDC-sponsored hesed. Employees of the center were a tremendous support for him. The hesed loaned Eugenie the necessary rehabilitation equipment: a wheel chair, bedsore mattresses, and pillows. And the people at the hesed extended to him an invaluable outlet for communication and moral support.

Eugenie became a professional sportsman, participating regularly in various competitions. He became six-time champion of the wheelchair races in the Republic of Kazakhstan, and also a chief coach and judge of such competitions.

In 1996, Eugenie became the only disabled person to compete in an auto race among professional sportsmen, and he continues to hold that distinguished "title". The initial results were amazing: he placed 17 out of the 64 competitors, and earned 4th place in his class.

Today, Eugenie doesn't think about the fateful day which forever altered his life. Instead, he focuses on his plans to participate in future races. He focuses on the special visits that his daughter and grandson make from Israel to see him, and on his many friends. He is grateful for this second chance to live.