No excuses: "When you do not know what to do, take a step forward" - an interview with Alexei Nalogin

Alex Nalogin - programmer, a public figure and businessman who invented a unique prosthetic and orthopedic products under the name of "Armor". They allow people with spinal cord injuries, such as Alexei himself, to stand up and go.

Readers Layfhakera Alex is already familiar under the heading "Jobs", where he I told about their business and workspace organization. Today you will get acquainted with this amazing strong man closer. This time, he tells about his life, more than 8 years of which Alex spent in a horizontal position.

- Hello, Alex! Thank you for taking the time to participate in our special. project.

- Hello, Anastasia! Thank you for inviting.

- Alex, tell us a little about your childhood where you were born, who your parents?

- Born in Moscow, April 29, 1977. He spent his childhood between Moscow and the old village, 80 km from Moscow, from great-grandparents.

Russian stove, chickens, rabbits, rustic farm, wooden sled in the winter. It seems to me that in Russia so lived, and 100 and 200 years ago. The only thing that speaks of a "civilization" - a small black and white TV.

In the 6 years we have left to live in East Germany. Father served in the army, and he was sent there on a business trip for 5 years. Mom and I went after him. These were the best years of my childhood!

I went to school there. Russian school in the garrison, where children learn the military. In fact, we were living in Germany, but the Germans crossed very rarely. They lived apart in Russian towns. We went on a visit to the Germans, the Germans went on a visit to us.

School, sports, excursions, museums and zoos. It seems to me that I have been in all the zoos in Eastern Germany. :)

There, in Germany, the first time I was faced with a computer.

It was not the usual the PC, and a tank simulator. With armchair, fire control, monitors. How my friends was able to walk with someone's permission, I can not remember, but I remember feeling so far. It was cool!

Unfortunately, when I did not have a camera, and from childhood have only a few pictures, to make friends.

In 1988 we returned to Moscow. Contrast. Shock. Everything is strange. New school. New classmates. For all I was like a white crow, "I came from Germany." Then in the USSR was not, in principle, anything, and that was all it was the same. And I have gel pens, markers, soft erasers. In general - a bourgeois. :) But after a while settled down, fit the new format.

- And what you like as a kid?

- I went to football training, basketball in the winter - hockey. All is all, as a child.

In 12 years, I became interested in tourism. In our school organized a circle, and we are the team of 10-15 people peers went hiking on the weekends in the Moscow region. In the spring of 1990 we went to the Crimea on spring break and summer took part in the championship on tourism in the suburbs. Then I thought that tourism - this is mine, and had planned when I'm older, mountaineering seriously. But it did not work out ...

- The plans interfered with health problems?

- Yes. In the summer of 1990 a backache. Doctors could not diagnose right up to mid-December. I drove to the doctors, hospitals, healers, charlatans - all to no avail.

Back pain grew stronger, and in December 1990 I was in an ambulance brought to the CITO (Central Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedics).

Resuscitation. Operating table. Biopsy. The diagnosis - cancer, malignant sarcoma in the thoracic spine.

Operated on December 27, just before the New Year, the tumor was removed.

Then there were 6 courses of chemotherapy (one course every three months), radiation therapy in Obninsk, Kaluga region. Survived.

But six months later, it broke allograft (this is a bone, it was installed to fix the vertebrae after removal of the tumor). Doctors did not expect that I will live a long time, and put what happened. I was a child, and grew up in six months, and this bone is not, and it broke the vertebrae.

December 4, 1991 the operation again, but this time to replace the broken one allotransplatanta.

After surgery, waking up, he felt his feet. What did the doctors during surgery - is unknown, but I went up to the operation, and after that - no.

Then there were 8.5 years in hospitals and at home in a horizontal position. I could not walk or sit - just lie down. "Merry" was the time.

In total, I spent time in hospitals 3.5 years. And for all the 8.5 years (from December 4, 1991 to April 5, 2000), which held on the bed was on the street just in between flat-machine, machine-to-hospital, hospital-machine, flat. About this period in my life I could say: "I was at the end of the Internet."

Expanding horizons

- How did your fascination with computers?

- It so happened that all of the friends I have only one remains. Moscow classmate Nick Giryaev. He gave me my first computer in 1996 (IBM PC 286 processor, HDD 80Mb and OS MS DOS). This computer I had until January 1998, when, on the donated money for the New Year, I bought a Pentium 100, modem and paid monthly Internet. I've got the internet!

At the same time, a friend who works with the provider Demos, asked them to have unlimited Internet. They have provided. It was cool! Now you can communicate.

The Internet has changed my life.

- How?

- The most important thing that gave me the Internet - is the ability to communicate. At that time (early 1998), I was 6 years old do not leave the house. After an unsuccessful operation in December 1991, I could only lie, and my communication with the outside world were zero.

Internet is changed.

- But apart from communication, the Internet has allowed more and earn?

- Yes. The first few months I was engaged only in "surfing" and calling. But later I began to learn HTML and make the first page of Tourism in Moscow. Then there was her manager.

It was my first job with a salary of $ 60 a month.

In parallel, we are engaged in another database e-mail addresses of companies in Moscow. Now ashamed to admit it, but I was one of the first spammers. Fortunately, this period was short-lived, but what happened, happened. We collected addresses, organize and sell database.

In the fall of 1998, I shared the idea of ​​collecting donations over the Internet Galey Chalikova, employee group mercy of the Russian Children's Clinical Hospital. At my suggestion, she said: "Let's try it."

December 21 we made a page, and I sent through all available at the time I address a request to help the children in our hospital. Our first page placed on free hosting www.chat.ru.

But, despite the fact that I did spamming newsletter, hosting the administration did not remove it, but on the contrary, supported my initiative to save on the first page the link to us.

After that, everything was on the rise. People began to speak, to come to the hospital to help children, Anton Spout I registered the domain for us deti.msk.ru and helped with advertising on their sites. The site appeared constant advertising support, and the children - a stable source of help. We bought and sent medicines to the hospital to buy equipment. Our site has become famous.

Armor

- What occurred to make "Armor"?

- In parallel with the work on the site deti.msk.ru, I did commercial sites, orders were few, but the work and earnings are already permanent. Later, in the summer of 1999, for several years I have been involved in the creation and support for the Moscow representative of the British charity fund CAF.

Websites, advertising, Internet projects - all that was before 2005, when I changed the direction of its activities and began to engage in "Armor". Internet is gone by the wayside.

- Alex, it was clear to the readers that such "Armor"?

- So I called the system for standing man with spinal injury. At first I did it for myself. That was in 2000. Prototype: bus-phones and leather corset lace.

If you remember, in the movie "Forrest Gump" Forrest went to such as Elvis Presley parodied dance in similar devices.

Using them was very hard, uncomfortable to wear. But the main thing - it was promising.

With this system, I was able to get up. Again. After 8.5 years spent in bed.

I have perfected their devices, making and reworked until it turned out, what is now called the "Shell".

- Who is "Armor" - is not only the name of the system, but also to your business?

- In 2005, I patented the "Armor", and later registered the company LLC "Armor".

Has received a license from the Roszdravnadzor on prosthetic and orthopedic operations, the registration certificate and the certificate on the system. This has allowed us to produce "Armor" for Russian citizens with the trauma of the spine, and the state to fully pay our products. The patient as a result gets a "Armor" for free.

- How are the "Armor"?

- We now have a working studio in Moscow, where we do individually to each patient to address to us he needs in rehabilitation products. Aids, corsets, splint. All components used in our work, TOP-END quality, come from Japan and China.

Steps to the Future

- Alex, you were in Thailand?

- A trip to Thailand 3 years ago - another significant stage of my life.

I went to a friend for a couple of weeks of rest and... left.

I know that nothing in life happens "forever", but at some indefinite period of time, I plan to live here while working in Moscow. Fortunately, today's level of technology in communications allows it.

- What gives you the Thailand?

- The most important thing - it is freedom in everyday life and in movement. I am mobile and independent here 24 hours a day.

Well-known pros in Thailand: friendly people, warm climate, comfort and accessibility.

If today was a miracle, as my spinal cord repair, and I was able to walk without aids, in everyday life it would be little changed.

I speak fluently in English, I learned to read Thai, ride a bike, play sports, shoot a bow, cook not worse than expensive restaurants. I have a very busy life. I understand, if I lived in Moscow, I probably would have done better in terms of business and social activities.

But I chose the balance between success and health comfort.

- Recently, our special guest. the project was Yuri Curco. He also went to Thailand for an indefinite period. It turns out, is a paradise for people with disabilities?

- Well, I would not try to persuade or dissuade people with spinal injury to a sharp change of residence. There are a lot of nuances. It is better to come for a couple of weeks, bought the tour is the best option. And, already starting from the experience acquired, to weigh the "pros" and "cons."

- Alex, you mentioned about the motorcycles. Tell us more about it - about it you asked readers Layfhakera.

- In Thailand, these motorcycles, converted to control the man in a wheelchair, struck me.

This is truly revolutionary invention. A wheelchair to move out, drove into the parking lot inside the motorcycle and - freedom!

Accessibility in Action. In the shop, in the market? No problem! Ride? Easy!

80 km / h on the highway. tank of gasoline per 100 kilometers. This bike - an ideal solution for people in wheelchairs in the villages and small towns of Russia.

Two years ago I caught fire ideas to export them to Russia or to organize production, but all remained at the level of ideas.

- Why?

- There are several reasons: bureaucratic barriers, design registration and permits.

One official told me this: "Alex, your stories are uninteresting. Price little commercial interest too. Master budgets will not work, and a lot of hassle. "

In addition, the traffic rules. Drive a motorcycle without a license is impossible. You need to register and put on record. Papers, certificates, permits... Unfortunately, to pull this project I was not under force. in the future, maybe I'll come back to this topic.

- Then what took you right now, in addition to "Armor"?

- Now I'm a lot of attention and effort to give lessons in archery. Obtained. After a year of training, there are tangible results and progress.

I set a goal - to take part in the Paralympic Games 2016 to be held in Rio de Janeiro.

I have a 2.5 year on training, qualifications, registration event. While there is a desire, I hope everything will turn out.

- I sincerely wish that you, Alex! :) Finally, according to tradition, give their farewell Layfhakera readers.

I really like the saying: when you do not know what to do, take a step forward.

Here is my parting word or a wish.

- Thanks for the interview, Alex!

- Mutually, Nastya!