A former firefighter from Kalamata will be coming to Chicago next month, for much-needed therapy that may very well allow him to walk again.
Manolis Giannios, 36, was a very dedicated firefighter, until tragedy struck. Two years ago, while riding his motorcycle, he was hit by a bus. Manolis was knocked down, and suffered a broken shoulder. Additionally, his body was “twisted enough to paralyze him,” from the T2 (thoracic bone) down. Manolis is described as a selfless man, someone who “up until now would give everything to save the world, is suddenly powerless in a wheelchair.” A Greek specialist informed him that he would never walk again.
Since that time, Manolis has begun strenuous training and physiotherapy. Miraculously, his legs have not atrophied and he is experiencing spasms, which has led him to believe that there is a glimmer of hope that he might walk again.
A friend in Kalamata who lived in Chicago for many years, returned to the Windy City recently, and connected with Constantine Zografopoulos of the Kosta Z Foundation, which assists people with disabilities. Through the foundation, it was on to the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, and a meeting with Dr. David Chen – a specialist in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation & Spinal Cord Injury Medicine – who agreed to accept Manolis as a patient. Manolis and his wife Eleni will arrive in Chicago next month, for his first consultation with Dr. Chen, on August 24.
Manolis will undergo 15 therapy sessions, lasting through September 9 – and then his progress will be evaluated from there. The hope is that one day, Manolis will indeed walk again.
While fundraisers are being held in Kalamata, and donations are being collected there and in the US to cover his medical and travel expenses.
The very grateful Manolis has already indicated that after his expenses, if there is money leftover, he’d like to offer it to the Children’s Smile Foundation in Greece, an organization that assists disadvantaged children.“We have to help each other,” he said.
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