A resident of Orsha lost his arms and legs at the age of 16 but managed to become a successful entrepreneur and philanthropist

Today, the whole world celebrates the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. However, before this date appeared on the calendar, the UN had to declare an entire decade to prove that people with disabilities have the same rights in society, and the task of the rest is to accept them as equals, removing all barriers. In our country, more than half a million people are recognized as disabled, and, unfortunately, their number is growing year by year...

Not everyone finds themselves again, but those who succeed are both an example and a symbol for others. Like entrepreneur Alexey Talay, who implemented his planned business project in his hometown of Orsha.

Engaged in charity work, he gained many like-minded people in Belarus and abroad. He traveled half the world. In the USA, he conducted training sessions for business people and managed to earn money from it. Alexey, who is 31 today, is a happy husband and father. He sometimes wonders if he would have achieved all this if his life hadn't changed drastically at 16? Then, due to an accident, he lost his arms and legs. Alexey Talay accepted this terrible twist of fate with fortitude. And he learned the main truth: there are no trials that a person cannot overcome.

Blown-up Prospects

On May 8, 1999, Alexey came to his grandfather's dacha. He was going to congratulate the veteran on Victory Day. That day, the young man was clearing embers from a bonfire that unknown boys had lit on the border of the plot. Suddenly, there was a deafening roar – a shell from the Great Patriotic War exploded. Alexey did not lose consciousness. He tried to lean on his hands, but they seemed to sink into the ground. He wanted to stand on his feet. He couldn't. He lowered his eyes and saw that he was covered in blood...

For twelve days, Alexey was on the brink of life and death. Then, a surgeon, Professor Nikolai Abramov, arrived from Minsk and took him to a military hospital. The complex surgery lasted 6 hours. Alexey was saved. Upon returning home, he reflected: he had been a healthy young man, studied at a railway college, and had a girlfriend. And now he was a disabled person, confined to a wheelchair. These thoughts made him feel numb inside. But his loved ones, who tried not to shed a tear in his presence, needed him as he was. So Alexey decided that he had no right to let down his parents, grandparents, and younger brother. Day after day, he tried to get into the bathroom by himself, brush his teeth, wash his hair, and read books. He learned to live anew.

To want it very much

I first met Alexey at the Vitebsk branch of the Higher State College of Communications. He was speaking there during the Global Entrepreneurship Week to young people. The audience bombarded him with questions. While answering, Alexey recalled two episodes that influenced his new life. When he was lying in the military hospital, war veterans from Afghanistan visited him. They were young and handsome. Some were involved in business. Alexey was greatly surprised when one of the guests, Kolya Koparikha, unfastened his prosthetics: "You can live without arms and legs too. Pull yourself together, little brother! Everything will be alright."

Later, the injured boy had to deal with an incompetent translator. The translator accompanied his family to Germany, where Alexey was sent for rehabilitation. The translator did not bother to fully convey the recommendations of the German doctors. Alexey's mother became nervous because of this. To calm her down, Talay recalls, he surrounded himself with textbooks and started cramming the language from scratch:

— When I started speaking to the doctor in German, the translator's eyes widened in surprise! Strong emotions ease the path to the goal. If you want something very much, you will definitely achieve it!

Smile and charisma

When I arrived in Orsha, Alexey invited me over. It was a typical apartment on the first floor of a five-story building. A ramp was installed on the balcony side. Alexey's grandfather, Alexey Trofimovich, was sitting with him. A doctor was expected to come and prescribe medication for the 87-year-old war veteran. Alexey's phone kept ringing. He busily moved from the sofa to the table, answering calls, talking to me, his grandfather, and the doctor. Soon, his wife Nastya brought their two-year-old daughter Dasha from kindergarten:

— Alexey is a wonderful father. He adores children. When he meets with Mark and Vladislav, his sons from his first marriage, he tries to organize joint games for them and Dasha. As a man, he is courteous and charismatic. He knows how to attract people's attention. That's what drew me to him.

Alexey believes that a man should have a sense of humor and self-respect. He should be educated. That's why he enrolled in the history department at BSU. A smile is his main asset. After all, people treat a "wheelchair" disabled person differently. When he was processing documents for his business, some officials grumbled: "Why did you come? You could have sent relatives with the papers!" But Talay disagrees:

— I can do it myself!

Alexey decided to start his own business when he learned he was going to have his first child. A disabled person's pension wouldn't provide a decent life for the family. He tried many business ventures. But he considers the building he erected in the center of Orsha his main achievement. The premises there are rented out. In addition, he invests the money he earns in charity.

Pure Intentions

Yana Karpovich from Orsha is one of those whom entrepreneur Talay has helped. He gifted a young woman with disabilities an electric-powered wheelchair. The gift not only helped Yana become more independent. Thanks to it, she found a job in the call center of a company that sells water purification systems. Her director, Vyacheslav Lemnitsky, is pleased with his new employee:

— Yana is responsible and goal-oriented. A ramp was specially built for her at the company. Moreover, together with Talai and the "Pure Thoughts" entrepreneurs' association, we intend to employ people with disabilities in all our Belarusian representative offices.

There is another major project that Alexey dreams of bringing to life with businessmen and the Republican Confederation of Entrepreneurship. In the near future, Talai says, a charity fund will be launched, with the funds of which it is planned to build a village for orphans in the Vitebsk region:

— The idea was born after studying foreign experience. In each house of the village, together with educators, 7-8 children of different ages will live. But this is not a dormitory. Each child will have their own room. The children should grow up responsible and independent. The main thing is not to infantilize them, but with the help of experienced psychologists, to raise them as worthy members of society.

Life goes on. Recently, Alexey became the hero of the TV show "Pust Govoryat" (Let Them Talk):

— The show made me famous. But I am not a TV star, not some kind of hero. I love silence and family comfort. However, I try to benefit from popularity. For example, in the USA, where I studied the barrier-free environment at the invitation of the famous business coach Bob Harris, I learned to speak in front of business people. In this way, I introduced many people to our country. And after Andrey Malakhov's show, there were people willing to participate in my charity projects. In addition, by reading the feedback on the show on social networks, I understand that my example, my experience helps people with disabilities cope with difficulties. Looking at me, they find the strength to fight, to live. This is the most important thing.

Sergey Golesnik, "SB Belarus Segodnya"

Photos by the author and from Alexey Talai's family archive