ambassadors without diplomatic passport
Zdeněk Bakala’s Scholar Patrik Procházka
The story of Patrik reads like a fairy tale. But rather than fairy tale, it is a story of never giving up, falling and trying to walk (even literally) and sticking to your dreams. The story of Patrik combines my favorite themes of leadership, diversity, education and nonprofit organizations. The article is written not only to help him but also to mention all those involved that made his journey possible. In today´s world, people often think that they cannot change much. Patrik and his story serves as an example that if more individuals and institutions cooperate, the outcome and the overall impact can be truly enormous. Meet an extraordinary young man, who was born with cerebral palsy and lived most of his life requiring the aid of a wheelchair. However, despite the doubts of medical staff, Patrik is now able to walk. This is largely due to Patrik’s incredibly positive attitude. He lives by the motto “Nothing is unattainable - if we do not give up our efforts to attain it.” and serves as a testament to the will of the human spirit. The Rotary International Club of Prague is serving as a benefactor to Patrik’s life journey. A fundraising effort is underway to help support this young man’s fees for college and ongoing medical therapies. He attended Prague’s prestigious Open Gate grammar school on a scholarship and now attends Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida on a partial scholarship. Despite undergoing periodic operations which require significant time out of the classroom, Patrik remains at the top of his class. In the midst of all this, Patrik is determined to change people’s attitudes toward those with disabilities, both at home in the Czech Republic and around the world. He speaks regularly to help others recognize the gifts and incredible potential of all people, regardless of their physical and mental abilities. “I won partial academic scholarship to study in the United States, being selected from around 250 people. Since then, thanks to Bakala Foundation which has inspired me with unlimited choices and has also supported me the most during my bachelor’s studies, I have had a strong base to turn the impossible into possible.“
Photo: Oliver Beaujard
86 Czech Leaders II/2015
How do you perceive today’s world? Today’s world is truly amazing and with all my gratefulness I love to live in it. There is ultimate freedom and such an awesome diversity around us together with a strong connection. World is slowly going forward towards diversities as well as dreamers who believe one can achieve simply anything. I feel that in today’s world capability of achieving anything we can think of tends to be more realistic to people than in the past. From my perspective, people have unlimited options which are often well deserved by various obstacles. They can do exactly what they feel they want to from the bottom of their heart. They are braver and stronger, being aware of their own uniqueness. I personally was considered disabled as, due to serious illness after born, I was unable to walk. Considering to be severely limited along with living in a negatively bound environment where everything was impossible without discussions, I had two options, be or not to be. I decided to keep my inner self