Hello. I'm Ivan, just an allround tech enthusiast with a particular set of skills and an awesome set of wheels. I got pushed into production in '81, but due to some sort of build error my life turned out not quite as expected.
At first I was a boy like any other. I learned to talk and how to walk. But after a few years my strength decreased rapidly and I started to stumble and fall more and more often. I don't know how many times I've hit rock bottom. Literally. When I was about 6 years old, I ended up in a very retro wheelchair. That was the start of a life filled with medical tests, surgery and a plethora of doctors.
Despite my own series of unfortunate events, I got through my youth. I fought my demons and survived. And my experiences forced me to think differently about my life.
Many things are beyond my capabilities. Simple things, like standing up and walking away. I need help with a lot of things and I get physically tired very quickly. But this can not bring me to my knees.
A long time ago, I had to give up the ambition to find a job in the IT-world or to start my own business. I found out the hard way that this was not possible for me. Instead, my limitations empowered me to put all of my passion in that what I love most: learning, coding and exploring everything that technology has to offer. I can do this in my own pace and I love helping others in the process.
We're not all cut out to be an astronaut, but that shouldn't stop us from finding our own way to make a difference and to simply be different, to be ourselves.
It's not always easy to be the odd one. People staring at me. Obviously overwhelmed by my appearance. But it's okay. All they need is a friendly hello to realise that I'm just a human.
Some people are trying to be special every day. To be noticed. I get that for free, so I must be lucky. And after all, aren't we all a little bit extraordinary in our own way?