The Big Issue - UK (2020-08-24)

FROM 24 AUGUST 2020 BIGISSUE.COM | 25

By the early 1930s, Dr Ludwig Guttmann was the top

neurosurgeon in Germany. He lost his job overnight

when Hitler declared Jewish professionals could no

longer work in mainstream medicine, and went on to

become head of the Jewish hospital in Breslau (now

Wroclaw, Poland).

On November 9 1938 – Kristallnacht – the hospital

was inundated with dozens of casualties. Guttmann

insisted that all wounded were admitted. The next day

he was summoned to the hospital by the Gestapo to

explain his actions. Leaving the house, his wife made

sure he took his boots and overcoat as she was sure he’d

be sent to a concentration camp. Instead, Guttmann

invented diagnoses to justify why the patients could not

be released into custody. Out of 64 people, Guttmann

prevented 60 from being arrested and almost certainly

sent to their deaths.

In 1939, Guttmann was ordered by the Nazi

government to travel to Portugal to treat a friend of the

Portuguese dictator António de Oliveira Salazar. The trip

stopped over in London, where Guttmann, with his wife

and two young children, were accepted as refugees.

The outbreak of World War Two led to a marked

increase in wounded soldiers returning. Guttmann

established the Spinal Injuries Centre at Stoke Mandeville

Hospital in 1943. It was a job nobody else wanted, as at

the time soldiers with spinal cord injuries were brought

back in open-top coffins and died of infections within six

months. Guttmann pioneered a form of treatment that

vastly improved patients’ recovery and quality of life.

Sport was a key in the rehabilitation process and

Guttmann saw it as the logical next step to set up a

competition, saying: “I dream of the time when disabled

people will take part in the Olympic Games.” People

thought he was crazy, but on July

29 1948 – the same day the London

Olympics began – Stoke Mandeville

held its first games. From this

tournament of 16 competitors

this grew into the Paralympics

movement, which Guttmann was

involved with until his death in 1980

at the age of 80.

The legacy he began in the

garden of a military hospital in

Buckinghamshire is now, after the

summer Olympics and Fifa World

Cup, the third biggest sporting event

on the planet, with 4,342 athletes

from 159 countries taking part in Rio

in 2016.

The refugee behind one of

Britain’s proudest legacies

make her own story seem boring. The title of the film borrows the nickname of Bebe

Vio, an Italian fencer who developed meningitis C as an 11-year-old and had both legs

and arms amputated.

Jean-Baptiste Alaize, a long-jumper [that’s him on this week’s cover and on page

20], was attacked by the Hutus during the Burundi civil war. He suffered four machete

blows, one cutting off his leg. Aged three at the time, he then watched as his mother

was killed. As Alaize says in the film: “I run to escape. It’s as if I’m trying to escape what

happened. Falling, getting up again, falling, getting up again, that’s life and this is

relevant to many people.” With the Paralympics unable to take place, Rising Phoenix

picks up the baton, celebrating the history of an event built from the ashes of war, the

darkest of days, that nevertheless illuminates the world, impacting the day-to-day

lives of millions.

Even though he’s a veteran competitor, Peacock says he learned a lot from

the film. “It changed my perception. It’s an incredible emotional rollercoaster. One

minute literally sitting there about to cry and the next minute you're feeling like you

want to go and take on the world,” he says.

Peacock has in the past pushed against the patronising notion that Paralympians

should be seen as beacons of inspiration for non-disabled people.

“I’ve always been about the sport, but this taught me how important everything

else is – the history, what people have overcome and how important it is that they

represent in these dark times a light at the end of the tunnel. There are better days,

you can take life into your own hands and make a change.

“People see others with disabilities and they automatically put them into this

box,” Peacock continues.

“It’s the same with everyone – we have a tendency as a human race to judge

people by appearance. I hope that’s something as a society we are all changing at

the moment.

“The Paralympics just shows how wrong you are to do that. These rules that we

confine everybody with are not true.”

Rising Phoenix launches globally on Netflix on August 26

@stevenmackenzie

Pointing the way

Competitors at the 1955

Stoke Mandeville Games, a

forerunner for the Paralympics

Image:

Fred Ramage/Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Image:

Raymond Kleboe/Picture Post/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

FROM 24 AUGUST 2020 BIGISSUE.COM| 25

Bytheearly1930s,DrLudwigGuttmannwasthetop

neurosurgeoninGermany.Helosthisjobovernight

whenHitlerdeclaredJewishprofessionalscouldno

longerworkinmainstreammedicine,andwentonto

becomeheadoftheJewishhospitalinBreslau(now

Wroclaw,Poland).

OnNovember9 1938– Kristallnacht– thehospital

wasinundatedwithdozensofcasualties.Guttmann

insistedthatallwoundedwereadmitted.Thenextday

hewassummonedtothehospitalbytheGestapoto

explainhisactions.Leavingthehouse,hiswifemade

surehetookhisbootsandovercoatasshewassurehe’d

besenttoa concentrationcamp.Instead,Guttmann

inventeddiagnosestojustifywhythepatientscouldnot

bereleasedintocustody.Outof 64 people,Guttmann

prevented 60 frombeingarrestedandalmostcertainly

senttotheirdeaths.

In1939,GuttmannwasorderedbytheNazi

governmenttotraveltoPortugaltotreata friendofthe

PortuguesedictatorAntóniodeOliveiraSalazar.Thetrip

stoppedoverinLondon,whereGuttmann,withhiswife

andtwoyoungchildren,wereacceptedasrefugees.

TheoutbreakofWorldWarTwoledtoa marked

increaseinwoundedsoldiersreturning.Guttmann

establishedtheSpinalInjuriesCentreatStokeMandeville

Hospitalin1943.Itwasa jobnobodyelsewanted,asat

thetimesoldierswithspinalcordinjurieswerebrought

backinopen-topcoffinsanddiedofinfectionswithinsix

months.Guttmannpioneereda formoftreatmentthat

vastlyimprovedpatients’recoveryandqualityoflife.

Sportwasa keyintherehabilitationprocessand

Guttmannsawitasthelogicalnextsteptosetupa

competition,saying:“Idreamofthetimewhendisabled

peoplewilltakepartintheOlympicGames.” People

thoughthewascrazy,butonJuly

291948 – thesamedaytheLondon

Olympicsbegan– StokeMandeville

helditsfirstgames.Fromthis

tournamentof 16 competitors

thisgrewintotheParalympics

movement,whichGuttmannwas

involvedwithuntilhisdeathin 1980

attheageof80.

Thelegacyhebeganinthe

gardenofa militaryhospitalin

Buckinghamshireisnow,afterthe

summerOlympicsandFifaWorld

Cup,thethirdbiggestsportingevent

ontheplanet,with4,342athletes

from 159 countries taking part in Rio

in 2016.

Therefugeebehindoneof

Britain’s proudest legacies

makeherownstoryseemboring.ThetitleofthefilmborrowsthenicknameofBebe

Vio,anItalianfencerwhodevelopedmeningitisC asan11-year-oldandhadbothlegs

andarmsamputated.

Jean-BaptisteAlaize,a long-jumper[that’shimonthisweek’scoverandonpage

20],wasattackedbytheHutusduringtheBurundicivilwar.Hesufferedfourmachete

blows,onecuttingoffhisleg.Agedthreeatthetime,hethenwatchedashismother

waskilled.AsAlaizesaysinthefilm:“Iruntoescape.It’sasifI’mtryingtoescapewhat

happened.Falling,gettingupagain,falling,gettingupagain,that’slifeandthisis

relevanttomanypeople.”WiththeParalympicsunabletotakeplace,RisingPhoenix

picksupthebaton,celebratingthehistoryofaneventbuiltfromtheashesofwar,the

darkestofdays,thatneverthelessilluminatestheworld,impactingtheday-to-day

livesofmillions.

Eventhoughhe’sa veterancompetitor,Peacocksayshelearneda lotfrom

thefilm.“Itchangedmyperception.It’sanincredibleemotionalrollercoaster.One

minuteliterallysittingthereabouttocryandthenextminuteyou'refeelinglikeyou

wanttogoandtakeontheworld,”hesays.

PeacockhasinthepastpushedagainstthepatronisingnotionthatParalympians

shouldbeseenasbeaconsofinspirationfornon-disabledpeople.

“I’vealwaysbeenaboutthesport,butthistaughtmehowimportanteverything

elseis– thehistory,whatpeoplehaveovercomeandhowimportantitisthatthey

representinthesedarktimesa lightattheendofthetunnel.Therearebetterdays,

youcantakelifeintoyourownhandsandmakea change.

“Peopleseeotherswithdisabilitiesandtheyautomaticallyputthemintothis

box,”Peacockcontinues.

“It’sthesamewitheveryone– wehavea tendencyasa humanracetojudge

peoplebyappearance.I hopethat’ssomethingasa societyweareallchangingat

themoment.

“TheParalympicsjustshowshowwrong you are to do that. These rules that we

confineeverybodywitharenottrue.”

RisingPhoenixlaunches globally on Netflix on August 26

@stevenmackenzie

Pointingtheway

Competitorsatthe 1955

StokeMandevilleGames,a

forerunner for the Paralympics

Image:

Fred Ramage/Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Image:

Raymond Kleboe/Picture Post/Hulton Archive/Getty Images