A 56-year-old woman from Satu Mare, who underwent 28 very difficult surgeries, has become the first female ski instructor in Romania for people with disabilities.

Angela Kohan walks with the help of a cane or a crutch because of the disability she was born with, but which has not made her give up the fight. To give herself a chance at a better life, she taught herself German so she could talk to doctors abroad, and today she practises sports that are hard for the average person: kayaking, sit-wakeboarding and skiing.

Angela Kohan told AGERPRES that she has had challenges since birth. She was born with spina bifida, a condition known as 'open spine', which over time leads to an inability to move.

'I already generated problems for my parents from birth. My mother knew that I would never heal, that I would remain physically disabled, but she accepted me as I am with great joy,' she said.

As she became an adult her health worsened, the first surgeries began, when she had to be in a cast from the waist down for six weeks. Mrs. Angela Kohan knew that abroad, especially in Germany, medicine was better, but she didn't know anyone, so in 1989 she began to learn German on her own.

'I thought I should go abroad, but I had no one. I thought that the first step to get in touch with a doctor or clinics was to learn a foreign language, so I taught myself German for a year and a half. When I told my father, he looked at me: Really? I sent letters to Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Holland, wherever I had addresses. Of course I was declined. It took two or three years until I was called for consultation in Austria, in Vienna. At that time we needed a visa, there was no one to call me. It was hard, but I managed. I knew that my great-grandparents had a German name, although absolutely nobody knew German, they were called Schwarczkopf. On the basis of the family tree I got a visa to Germany,' said Mrs. Angela Kohan.

So in 1992 Mrs. Angela Kohan arrived at a clinic in Vienna. She practically stopped in Austria, which was on her way to Germany. The professor there told her he couldn't help her, but recommended another professor.

'Of course, we didn't have a GPS with the Dacia, we went with a map. By the time we found the clinic, the professor had left. We had no money for the hotel, we slept in the Dacia, me, mom and dad, one night. The next day the professor who consulted me told me 'Hat off! because I spoke German so beautifully and correctly (...).He took me for free. In total, I underwent seven operations there, worth hundreds of thousands of euros,' Mrs. Kohan said.

She has had the same prosthesis for 32 years. Although it is recommended to change it every 10 years, Ms. Angela says that if everything is fine, there is no reason to undergo surgery again.

But her life changed when she came across Kayak Smile. She remembers she was 48 when these adventures began.

'I say serendipitous, but serendipity comes from up there. I also paint and I had an exhibition at the Satu Mare City Hall and when I came out I saw a big advertisement for Caiac Smile and I saw a wheelchair. I said: Wow! Kayaking? That's what I'm waiting for, that's what I want! I loved the sport. They wouldn't accept me in gyms. I called Ionut [Stancovici, club president - editor's note] and that's how I started. The first time we went for a trip on a lake, then it went well, we participated in competitions on the Crisul Repede, Bega, in Targu Mures on the Mures, 21 kilometers each. It was very nice,' says enthusiastically Mrs. Kohan.

Then the members of the association invited her skiing. At first she hesitated, but when she saw that there were special devices for people with disabilities and she was safe, she accepted the challenge.

'I sat on a special chair, I did nothing. Ionut did it, from top to bottom, with such speed, that's how I felt, high speed. I was so happy, I cried with joy and I asked him, is this how a healthy man skis? He said yes, that's how you will ski. I'm an instructor today. I bought a special ski chair. I fell a lot at first, but then I realized that the chair protects my hip. They called me to wheelchair cross-country, now I cover 10 kilometers. I participated in about 10 competitions in Bucharest, Baia Mare, Cluj, Hungary,' added Mrs. Angela Kohan.

Today, she also plays wheelchair basketball and sit-wakeboarding, i.e. she sits in a chair on a special board and is pulled on water.

'If I do sport I feel healthy. I forget all my problems. In basketball we are in teams and I like it very much, in kayaking we are in the nature, in the water, in skiing it's adrenaline, speed, in a wheelchair I want to win, it's important for me,' Angela went on to say.

She is very grateful to the association Kayak Smile, especially to Ionut Stancovici.

'It's never too late. I'm 56 now and I love that whatever sport I want, Ionut makes modifications. If I told him I wanted bungee jumping, he'd say come on, let's do it. I don't want bungee jumping. Five sports is enough, but I'd still try it. In Cluj I tried hiking, but I'm afraid. I'd like to ride an ATV, I haven't tried it yet, it would be easy because it's seated,' Angela said energetically.

Then she suddenly remembered that she was not allowed to do sports for a while. Doctor's advice because she has a torn shoulder tendon. She suffered a sit-wakeboarding injury. Everything was going fine, she was the best, until the instructor encouraged her to do a back flip and she fell. At first she felt nothing, but then the pain came.

'I really miss sport, I can't wait to get better,' concluded Mrs. Kohan.

She is national champion in kayaking, has many trophies and medals from competitions.

'I was scared too, not to have problems with my prosthesis if I fall. First we have to learn how to fall. I came home with blows, but it's not that dangerous. I think I want to play sports even when I'm 80. It's healthy, you get out among people, get out in nature. We thank Ionut!,' Mrs. Kohan further said, adding that whenever she tells somebody about the sports she does, they always say they feel ashamed because they don't do any sports.

Today, Mrs. Angela Kohan is retired, but she still teaches German to the students. And she is waiting for her shoulder to heal to set off for new adventures. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Gheorghe Pietrar; EN - writing by: Simona Iacob)