Maria Petit’s story of overcoming, from going blind to wearing underpants

In 2010, at the age of 17, when she was “a teenager with a lot of misdirected energy”, she suffered a serious motorcycle accident and lost her sight. He ran out of eyes. An unexpected slap in the face of life that would result, over the years, in a flurry of various emotions. From the frustration and the hardest moments, to the acceptance of a raw reality that she defines without euphemisms: “You don’t need to look for terms like diverse abilities or functional diversity, or in any other way, I’m a blind person, stupid “. But despite the disability, after going through a process of personal knowledge, Maria continues to live trying almost everything she likes. He explains it with a smile that is entrusted to him and it is confirmed by an Instagram that makes a fool of himself.

This Sunday she will participate, accompanied by her friend Pol, who will be her guide, in Behobia-Sant Sebastià. It’s just a taste: he’s preparing for the Barcelona half marathon, which will be held in February. She also likes to train and run in the mountains, where she has to be accompanied, in this case, by two guides: she, in the middle, holds on to a metal directional bar and the three of them move forward. She has taken part in races such as the Burriac Atac, near Vilassar de Mar, where she lives, alone, but she has also climbed peaks such as the Aneto, accompanied by the alpinist Ferran Latorre, or the Pica d’Estats, among many others. Nevertheless, and despite the fact that he had always had a certain facility for sports, it wasn’t until after the accident that he started running regularly: “I had stopped smoking – he laughs -, I was also nervous, I had trouble sleeping… . I had an athletic partner and during one sleepless night I decided I would like skiing or athletics. I called ONCE and tried both sports. I really liked athletics.”

Blindness also does not prevent him from enjoying one of his other great passions: travelling. Five years ago he went to San Diego, in the United States, and stayed with a family. She traveled alone to India – “I didn’t want to always have to depend on other people’s dates” – where she fished them out to meet the contact of a contact. He has also been to Indonesia and Morocco. “I had never boarded a plane when I saw it, but traveling is a desire I’ve always had. Obviously, I’m very cautious,” he explains, and remembers what his father told him before going to Indonesia, where earthquakes: “Maria, go there. If they come looking for us, we’ll tell them you’ve spent your whole life doing what you want.”

Despite the way she faces life despite not being able to see, Maria does not like to define herself as an example of overcoming. “I start from the premise that all stories are about overcoming. Everyone overcomes themselves in their own way and looks for life as best they can,” he explains. In fact, despite being directly related, she does not focus her story on the accident, but on how she got on with her life after going through a complicated period. “Four years after the accident I was very bad for almost two years. I got out of it. That’s what makes me think of a spirit of overcoming.”

How to get ahead

It was a very introspective time. “In 2014 I had made the mark to go to the European Athletics Championships, I had made the mark to be there, I had a very nice partner. Everyone was congratulating me, because everything seemed to be going well for me. But I didn’t feel well . I kept feeling that I lacked autonomy: it’s no use qualifying for European athletics if you can’t fend for yourself to leave the house,” he explains. “I wanted to do everything and I couldn’t do the most basic things. I started questioning a lot of things and it was fucked up. And people didn’t realize it because, from doors to the door, I ate very healthy, I didn’t stop, I wanted to be the best athlete… But I noticed that I was losing energy, I lost a lot of weight, I stopped having my period…”. She also began to feel out of place with her group of friends: “You’re 20 or 21 years old and you see them partying, drinking alcohol and you feel left out of all that…”.

With perspective, he sees it as a stage of mourning. “After the accident I was always surrounded by many people. I was the novelty. The wafer came years later.” She read a lot, asked herself a lot of questions, moved out on her own, signed up for yoga – “I’m not particularly mystical; in fact, if someone tells me they’re signing up for yoga, I get worried,” she jokes. –… He also approached sport in a calmer way and, little by little, he was building the person he wanted to be. She took steps to become more independent, with processes such as giving up her cane and moving on to having a mad dog, Tavish, who she loves madly. in the book Ladybug of the living eyenarrates his story through the hand of journalist Maria Xinxó.

“Now I’m in a moment where I feel very good. With a lot of energy. With everything I’ve done, people ask me what my next challenge is. For me it’s very clear: to remain independent,” she says with a smile. “I consider myself a privileged person, even though I have a disability. But let’s be clear: being disabled sucks. There are so many things I want to do, like go for a run alone or go to the beach, and I can’t. But, all in all, I feel good: I love my family very much, I have a partner and great friends, I have a job that I like [treballa al departament de comunicació d’una empresa de moda]a house to live in, a lot of social life…”.

The example of Maria’s overcoming fills those who want to hear it with vitality. She also wants her story to be used to claim the rights of people with disabilities. “Society is limiting, it’s not built for a blind person to live in: it’s not about adapting anything, but that, when creating, it’s created with everyone in mind.” I’m sure his energy helps.