«Hi! I am Igor. I am 38, I love good company, heavy music, motorcycles and travelling» — that simple but honest line opens the story of a man who, despite acquiring a disability, kept his love of life, his drive and his hunger for change. Igor was born in Donetsk, where he spent his childhood and youth.
«I played in several bands, rode a motorcycle, travelled around Ukraine and felt completely free,» he recalls.
But in 2013 his life changed forever. A road accident left Igor with a cervical spine injury at the C6 level, which forced him to leave the capital and return to Yenakiieve.
Despite the severe consequences, Igor did not lose his spirit of freedom. But life became even harder when the war in the east began and his family found itself under occupation.
«For a while we moved from town to town until the money ran out. Then we had to go back to the occupied territory. After the injury I dropped out of life for four or five years. Rehabilitation was out of the question, so I started exercising at home — first with my mother, then on my own. A year and a half after the injury I was finally able to move from lying down to sitting up. For me that was an enormous achievement, and the beginning of understanding that not everything was lost.»
Later Igor and his family left for territory controlled by Ukraine. By then he could dress himself and transfer into a wheelchair. The first stage of his new life was an active rehabilitation camp, and then he moved in with his girlfriend, who played a key part in his path to independence.
«We practised cooking and household tasks together. Because of her job I was often at home alone, working on my skills while she was away. More than once I fell and even spent the night on the floor, but that only toughened me up. Thanks to her support — and her minimal help — I became confident in my own strength.»
Igor first heard about GAR while still in hospital. His first attempt to get to a camp failed because he was in occupied territory. But the next time he went. His first camp was in 2017 and, although he had doubts at the start, on the last day he understood why it had mattered.
«A camp is a place that changes you. It is a place where you get a kick in the backside and, if you want to, you take that chance,» Igor says. «At my first camp I fell ill and missed part of the programme, so they invited me a second time. When I came back a year later, my instructor said I had made an enormous leap in independence. That was very good to hear.»
In time Igor and his girlfriend moved to another home, which they adapted to his needs as far as possible. That gave him the chance to manage the household on his own and to continue on his way to full independence.
Today Igor works at the Lobortas jewellery house, travels, and belongs to the MOTA Brotherhood motorcycle club. After the full-scale invasion began, Igor decided to help GAR. At first he worked as an operator, then trained and began advising people on adapting their homes to be barrier-free.
«Right now I am on the board of GAR and work to make our country more accessible for everyone,» he says.
Igor believes that no circumstances can stand in the way of the drive for self-realisation.
«Life can be interesting if you put in the effort. The main thing is not to give up, to keep moving forward and to surround yourself with people who help you feel the real taste of freedom.»
This is the story of Igor Pirozhkov — a man who has proved that even after the hardest trials you can remain free, active and happy.
Our sincere thanks for their support to the League of the Strong, Choose Love and the other partners who make this possible!
