top

Contact: lp.surtet@kezsybz

polish version
Being Tetrus
polish version

Contact

lp.surtet@kezsybz

Life after jumping into the water

Disability after cervical spine fracture

Motor glider
Recently added:

Motor glider flight

More
Dinosaur Park
Recently added:

Dinosaur Park

More

Who is Tetrus??

What is quadriplegia?

Spinal cord rupture

How many people suffer a spinal cord injury each year?

Welcome to my website
zbigniew oleszek

In August 1997, due to an unfortunate dive into the water headfirst, I suffered a fracture of the cervical spine at the C5 level. This resulted in a spinal cord injury and quadriplegia. Unfortunately, the situation has changed little since then, despite extensive and intensive rehabilitation.

I invite you to explore the content of this site. Here, you can find a description of my experiences living with a disability for over twenty years, my dreams, and advancements in medicine related to the regeneration of damaged spinal cords. I would like to recommend a mini-guide for newcomers to spinal cord injury titled "What is SCI? What are the consequences? What therapies are available?" It contains essential knowledge that everyone using a wheelchair should know. This guide is in Polish, but it can easily be translated into any language using a translator.

The goals of this site are varied. Among the most important is the desire to share experiences between individuals who have sustained spinal injuries from diving accidents, to show everyone that people with spinal cord injuries exist and are an integral part of society, just like able-bodied individuals, and to demonstrate to myself and others that even with such significant mobility limitations, it is possible to do something valuable and help others. This site can also serve as a warning for those who believe that a serious accident will never happen to them. I once thought that way too, and I know how wrong I was. The unpredictable nature of fate is evidenced by the fact that despite being a lifeguard for 10 years, I became a quadriplegic due to an accident in the water.

When creating this site, one of my main priorities was to ensure that it reflects the truth—an honest account of my experiences and my character. I did not want to write about how wonderful life is for a person with a disability, as I believe from my own experience that this is far from the truth. However, I want to encourage others to make the most of the opportunities that still remain and to live life in accordance with their interests and true selves.

You can share your thoughts about me and the content on this site by sending me an email lp.surtet@kezsybz

Best regards.
Zbigniew Oleszek

Did you know that...

Tetrus- in Poland, a term derived from the word tetraplegik and in the colloquial speech of disabled people refers to all people with a spinal cord injury in the cervical section. The term "parus" on the other hand, comes from the word paraplegik and refers to people with spinal cord injury in the thoracic or lumbar section.

Quadriplegia - also known as tetraplegia, is a type of paralysis that affects all limbs to varying degrees. Paralysis can have different areas and intensity, and in extreme cases it prevents breathing. Quadriplegia is most often caused by damage to the cervical spine. The higher the cervical vertebra and spinal cord are damaged, the greater the level of paralysis and the more serious problems with maintaining vital functions.

A spinal cord rupture is a guillotining, mechanical disruption of the continuity of one of the most important organs of our body located in the spinal canal of the spine. Such an event occurs very rarely, and the term is often misused in the context of spinal cord injuries and subsequent paralysis.

In Poland, approximately 1,200-1,400 people suffer spinal cord injuries each year. Not every spinal fracture (injury) results in spinal cord damage. Spinal cord injuries occur in approximately 150 people each year. Men are injured 5-6 times more often than women. 40 percent of all spinal cord injuries are injuries to the cervical spine (quadriplegia). Such injuries occur most often in people under 40 years of age.