An edited version of the following article appeared in The Ottawa Citizen on Tuesday, July 3, 2001

Mike's challenge to be ordinary

Mike Nemesvary
'Round the World Challenge

Mike Nemesvary, a former champion freestyle skier, is attempting to become the first quadriplegic to drive around the world - a 40,000 kilometer trek to raise funds for spinal cord injury research and rehabilitation.

Mike and the Team are now in Perth, Australia, awaiting arrival of the truck. The Australian leg of the Challenge is expected to begin on July 7th, 2001.

The following piece was written by Mike's sister, Jackie Nemesvary.

As Mike's sister, I am probably biased in my views on Mike and his accomplishments but, on the other hand, as a close family member, I know the true picture of Mike's life. It is a picture that is different from the one Mike often portrays. The bravado that he displays masks the toll his disability and loss of independence have taken on him.

For 16 years, since the age of 24, Mike has lived with legs and hands that do not work...a life that we simply cannot comprehend and, unfortunately, too few of us think about. I often cry when I think about the suffering and indignities that Mike has endured over the years.

As a quadriplegic dependent on others for survival, Mike has been an easy target for an unfortunate segment of our society. Many incidents spring to mind but I know there are so many more that Mike just doesn't tell us about.

There was the "care" attendant who was given Mike's bank PIN number since, without hand functions, he is unable to use bank machines; she proceeded to empty his bank account of $5,000. The bank claimed no responsibility and though she was convicted, Mike never saw a penny.

Then there was the theft of his new $100,000+ heavily-modified truck for a joy-ride, resulting in damage that rendered it unusable and left Mike virtually housebound for weeks.

There was the waitress who, upon being made aware of Mike's bloody cut up legs due to the inaccessible restaurant table, responded, "Yeah, so what?".

All too often, care attendants have not shown up as scheduled, sometimes leaving Mike without food or water for many hours, sitting alone in his house, sweating in his winter jacket with his leg-bag overflowing.

I recall a very cold Christmas Day when his truck heater broke on the way to our mother's house. As a result, the truck lift mechanics froze and Mike was forced to wait in his cold truck, while we tracked down a portable heater and waited hours for it to work and free him from the truck.

I have seen Mike after too many 14-hour work days, pale and feverish from his recurrent infections, utterly exhausted to the point of breaking but still hunched over, slowly pecking away at the keyboard, determined to finish the task at hand. The bravado is gone and he is a man trapped in a body that doesn't work, but with a mind that won't let him stop.

But, in spite of it all, 90% of the time, Mike is an incredibly upbeat person with a quick wit and devilish sense of humour; he makes me laugh like no one else. He is the life of the party, the first to get out on the dance floor in his electric wheelchair, grooving to the music with his wild arm movements, often with his girlfriend on his lap, holding on for dear life!

When I attend functions related to the Challenge, I am most often introduced as "Mike's sister". I carry this title with pride. I am proud of his continued determination to maintain as much independence and dignity as he can and to make a difference in the lives of the disabled. It is not about self-promotion; it is about making a life worth living. Mike has a gift of motivation and inspiration and he is using it for all its worth.

A recent article described Mike as "an ordinary man trying to do something extraordinary". I beg to differ. Mike is an extraordinary man who would love nothing more than to be ordinary. To be able to do ordinary things; to hold hands with his girlfriend and actually feel it; to be able to eat when and what he wants; to be able to dress himself and do his own hair (without being called vain by the strangers who must do it for him); to be able to set his own schedule for getting up in the morning and going to bed at night. To have children of his own; to walk again... Mike cannot do the ordinary things anymore. But it is the dream of being ordinary again that drives Mike. To find a cure that would give him even 10% more mobility; to give him back the use of his hands or control of his bodily functions - this is a dream that can become reality for Mike and so many others but only through increased awareness and funds for spinal cord research.

This is all Mike wants - to be an ordinary man. Until then, he cannot rest.

And so, Mike's drive around the world continues.

For more information, visit www.roundtheworldchallenge.com