IN OUR LATEST “letter from Vitek”, the Czech punk describes tracking down a legless Italian racing driver for an interview, and visiting a heart-warming new café where the waiters are disabled

Dear Mr. Hodgkinson, hello, how are you? I think I wrote you before, that me and my girlfriend Eva also write to Czech magazine for handicapped people called Vozíčkář (Wheelchair). We admire people who did something extraordinary with their handicaps, something for which you need stamina and effort. We are not told what to write about, we have free hands. So we always choose one ordinary story, one about project and one very hard task, something like Mount Everest in writing. We are happy when we achieve that and “reach the top of the mountain”. This time we decided to make interview with Italian racing driver Alex Zanardi. It took us six months since he is very busy, but his helpful wife Daniella helped us a lot and we thank her for that. Alex was driving F-1, then became twice CART champion in US top motorsport discipline. After brief, ill- fated comeback to F-1 he returned to US. Twice champion didn’t get a drive in 2000, what a token of how American society treats its heroes. “One day you are hero, tomorrow you are zero”. Calculated hunt for dollars with no place for sentiment.

However he did get a drive in 2001 at Lausitzring in Germany, where in terrible crash he lost both legs. Not only did he survive that, he constructed his own prothetic legs and walked on them about two months after the crash. He returned into sport car racing with BMW Italia racing team and then fell in love with handcycling. His sportsman spirit didn´t leave him and he won London Olympic in 2012. In the time of our interview he competed in Iron Man marathon on Hawai. He also devotes his time and effort to his Bimbigamba Foundation, where he helps legless children and when they can´t afford that, he even pays the cost. Check www.bimbigamba.com. Alex even admitted that losing his legs gave him the best opportunities in life since it opened new horizons for him.He also admitted that the world of handicapped people is much more genuine than the one of those in motorsport, not because of people, but because motorsport is polluted by business interest only. We liked what he said at the end of our interview: “Life is like an Italian coffee, you can put as much sugar into it as you want, but if you don´t make an effort to stir it well, it won´t be as sweet as you wish”. Nice one Alex.

Second story we covered was about Café Apatyka [above] in my local town, Pardubice. It is situated in historical part of the town, in old Renaissance building. It mixes café with gallery and gift shop and waiters and waitresses are mentally and physically handicapped people. It not only gives them opportunity to work, earn some money and get the good habits under their belts but it also gives customers a chance to get closer to these people and breaks social barriers among people. It is run by non profit organisation Slunečnice (Sunflower) whose social workers keep an eye that all is in good order. They not only run this café, they also have a handicraft workshop where they make various gifts which they sell to subsidise their activities. When we visited them they were extremely friendly and helpful and we summed it up that in Café Apatyka you will get coffee which warms you up and stoke your soul.

Third project we made article about is called Hvězdný bazar (Star bazaar). We saw their stand on rockabilly/punk rock festival Mighty Sounds  www.mightysounds.com. This Hvězdný bazar has a shop in Prague, where they sell clothes and various things used in household by famous sportsmen, actors, or  showbiz people. These people are asked to donate something they used and then in the shop they put a label on it saying who owned it and where was it used so each item has its own story. So far, the feedback is good and people come there and donate on their own will. Shop employs wheelchair-bound people and all profits go to CZEPA which is Czech paraplegic association. What is nice is the fact that actors and well known people go there to give because they want to do it for others, not to get cheap publicity.

But you know what, Mr. Hodgkinson?

We were first newspaper or magazine who asked them for interview. We feel that all things that have meaning and that are positive, are overlooked by media. They are only interested in scandals, violence, digging the dirt at somebody or made up stories. That is moral decay in our eyes. We try to do positive journalism, even though we don´t get paid for that and it´s not our job, just fulfilling, creative hobby.

We could keep on boring you with stories about armless swimmer or legless man who climbed the highest mountain in Czech Republic on his hands. Incredible people. We raise our hats to them all.

Hope all things are going well with your bookshop and side project. You have our utmost respect.

Peace and love

From your Czech friends

Vítek and Eva