90-letnia Helena Urbanek z Gdyni podróżowała do Australii — podróż, o której marzyła przez całe życie. Niewidoma od dzieciństwa, po przetrwaniu wojny i trudnego dzieciństwa, nie pozwoliła ani wiekowi, ani niepełnosprawności powstrzymać się od realizacji swojego marzenia. Tysiące internautów zgłosiło się, aby pomóc jej w tej decyzji.
On the morning of September 2, Helena began her journey to the other side of the world. Together with her companion Monika, she took a train from Gdynia to Warsaw. From there, the women will fly through Dubai to Sydney. The flight alone will take about 24 hours.
In Australia, Helena will spend three weeks. She is expected to meet with representatives of the Polish community, the Polish consul, as well as with visually impaired children at one of the local schools.
The dream was made possible by internet users
The story of Helena gained widespread attention thanks to 25-year-old influencer Damian Stefańczyk. He invited the woman to participate in an intergenerational podcast and during the conversation asked her about her biggest dream.
Helena shared that she has always wanted to visit Australia. After the recording, Stefanczyk decided to help her fulfill her wish and launched a fundraising campaign for the trip.
The reaction of users was unexpected even for the organizers. More than 100,000 zlotys were raised in just two hours.
At the age of five, she lost her sight
The story of the journey is supported by the complicated fate of Helena.
During World War II, when the girl was only five years old, she was struck on the head by a German policeman. The injury was so severe that Helena lost her sight
Later, she ended up in a German institution for blind children, where, according to her memories, she was subjected to cruel treatment and torture
However, what she experienced did not break her. In the 1960s, Helena graduated from a school for the blind in Laski near Warsaw, and then she trained as a masseuse. Later, she began teaching Braille at one of the integration schools in Gdynia.
The woman retired only at the age of 87.
«It’s never too late for dreams»
Despite her age and loss of vision, Helena continues to travel. At 89 years old, she embarked on a sailing trip on the «Zawisza Czarny» as part of the «Zobaczyć morze» project, organized for blind and visually impaired people.
Ona postrzega świat przede wszystkim przez dźwięki, zapachy i dotyk.
“It’s never too late for dreams,” says Helena.
She loves listening to the birds singing, the noise of the streets, and especially the sea
„Morze tak huczy, że mogę je zobaczyć,” mówi 90-letnia kobieta z Gdyni.
In Australia, another important meeting awaits her
During her stay in Sydney, Helena will meet with the Polish consul, who promised to assist her throughout the trip. The program also includes meetings with the Polish diaspora and visually impaired children.
The trip itself will be part of another project. Damian Stefańczyk plans to make a documentary film about the journey.
Helena is also preparing a book — this will be the third publication of the 90-year-old woman. It is planned to be released later this year.
Dla Heleny Australia to nie tylko wycieczka turystyczna. To dowód na to, że marzenia naprawdę nie mają daty ważności.
