After suffering a spinal cord injury following a kitesurfing accident in Qawra seven months ago, Tomasz Szpyrka will no longer be able to walk – but the 33-year-old daredevil is determined: he will fly again.

The young Polish man spent two weeks in an induced coma after breaking several bones, including his spine, as well as puncturing his lungs, when strong winds slammed him onto the rocks.

The accident took place in the area known as Ta’ Fra Ben on February 23, shortly before a hailstorm with gale-force winds hit Malta. Tomasz woke up two weeks later and found himself in hospital, where doctors told him he was lucky to be alive.

“They say I was a miracle… I don’t wish anyone to have an accident like mine – especially when you wake up and they tell you you’re not going to walk.

“It’s really, really tough. But I’m not giving up. I’m still thinking of going back to paragliding. I’ve been doing this my whole life. If I wouldn’t be doing it, I wouldn’t be happy. I just cannot stay at home sitting in the wheelchair,” he says, as he sits in the quiet recreational area of the ward at Karin Grech Rehabilitation Hospital that has been his home since the accident.

Tomasz, who first came to Malta in 2012, discovered his love for adventure when he was about 13 years old and had a go at downhill cycling. From then on, he was hooked to extreme sports – diving, snowboarding, kite surfing and, recently, paragliding.

On the morning of the accident, he was to meet a friend in Qawra for a session of kitesurfing, something he had been doing for years. He went to Ta’ Fra Ben in the early afternoon, picking the spot because it offered calm waters sheltered from the open sea.

“When I got there, it was sunny and the wind was perfect for kitesurfing, about 25 knots. I surfed alone for about an hour. Then I went back to shore to take a 15-minute break and wait for my friend. Everything was going well,” he recalls.

When his friend arrived, the two young men prepared to kitesurf again. Tomasz, whose equipment was already set up, went first. 

“During my break, during those 15 minutes, something changed. The weather conditions changed. And instead of going in the water, the wind pulled me over the land and I crashed into rocks,” he recalls.

“I heard a lot of comments about the fact that I was stupid to go out that day. But that was the perfect day for kitesurfing. Everyone was out kitesurfing that day. I was in a bad place at a bad time,” he says.

Tomasz Szpyrka taking a selfie while paragliding.Tomasz Szpyrka taking a selfie while paragliding.

In the wrong place at the wrong time

It was a split-second. In every kite there are two safety systems – but it happened so fast that Tomasz did not even have a chance to react.

I’m not giving up… I’m still thinking of going back to paragliding. I just cannot stay at home sitting in the wheelchair

“I ended up half-way in the water and half on the rocks. I hit the rocks twice. The first hit was to my leg. The second hit was on the back. The first hit I felt. The second hit switched me off completely,” he recalls.

Tomasz also remembers struggling to breathe because of his punctured lungs and his Bulgarian friend staying beside him. He remained conscious until the ambulance arrived, some 40 minutes later. Then he passed out.

Tomasz was taken to Mater Dei Hospital where he underwent emergency surgery and was placed in an induced coma for two weeks.

“When I woke up, I thought it was the next day after the accident. For the first few hours I didn’t know what was going on as I was on a lot of medication and life support. I knew I was in hospital, but I didn’t really remember what happened. It started coming back to me in the first few days. But after a day or two I was fully conscious about what happened and what my life will look like.”

A shattered body

The right side of his body was shattered. He had broken his right femur, his pelvis, two ribs and punctured his lungs. He also suffered damage to several parts of his spine.

“I don’t feel from my chest down. I don’t have movement in my fingers,” he says. After spending about three months in the intensive care unit, Tomasz started rehabilitation at Karin Grech.

“When I left ITU, I could barely move. I couldn’t move my head and someone had to push my wheelchair. I lost 12 kilos of muscle. Since then, I do physiotherapy for four hours a day. They tell me I’m improving every day. Now I can move my arms, my shoulders and my head. I can wash myself, brush my teeth and wheel myself,” he smiles as he thanks the “fantastic staff” at Mater Dei and Karin Grech hospitals.

Whether or not he will be able to move his fingers will depend on the extent of the spinal cord injury, which remains unknown. But he is not giving up.

Following his accident, Tomasz started rehabilitation at Karin Grech hospital.Following his accident, Tomasz started rehabilitation at Karin Grech hospital.

Moving forward, and up

Once he gains enough strength and independence to leave hospital, Tomasz plans to move back to Poland where he will have his family’s support. Remaining in Malta is difficult since he has been renting a home while working at the dockyard and will not be able to maintain himself.

I hit the rocks twice. The first hit was to my leg. The second hit was on the back. The first hit I felt. The second hit switched me off completely

After hearing about the accident, his younger brother flew to Malta and visits him almost every month, between work and studies. He has not seen his father yet.

“Two years ago, my mother passed away from cancer and I don’t want my father to stress more,” he says.

During his stay in hospital, Tomasz had been surrounded by friends who visit him regularly and offer support.

They also set up a crowdfunding page to help him raise the money to buy a wheelchair, that costs about €5,000, as well as make alternations to his home in Poland that include installing a lift and adapting the bathroom, bedroom and kitchen for him to use.

On the crowdfunding page his friends write: “We stand on behalf of Tomek [as they call him], because he never liked to ask for help. Even in the hospital, although he cannot move, he does not use the red button (to call for help) saying that it should be reserved for more needy patients than him.

“We collect money for Tomek’s further rehabilitation and for the purchase of equipment that will allow him to function normally… In the hospital, he does not lose his fighting spirit.”

This is why the avid sports lover, a fighter by nature, plans to return to the sports he loves so much - paragliding.

“When you paraglide you literally fly. You use the force of the wind to stay in the air. It’s very quiet and you can really think about your life. It makes you feel free,” he says.

To help Tomasz in his rehabilitation and contribute towards buying him specialised equipment to make him partially independent, donate through his crowdfunding page.

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