Handball Against the Odds – by Meredith Rosenberg
Handball Against the Odds – final version from Meredith Rosenberg on Vimeo.
About seven years ago, Vladimir Geresimosky, 36, left his native Macedonia for New York. He found work as a doorman in midtown, and lives in the same building as his brother and sister-in-law in Astoria. About two and half years ago, he was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease that causes inflammation in his eyes. Since then, he has slowly been going blind. Despite the fact that he is now legally blind, he’s resumed playing handball, a sport he started playing as a teenager in Macedonia that isn’t as well known here. It’s similar to soccer, except the goal is to throw a ball into a net. Due to his work schedule, Geresimosky didn’t join NYC Team Handball until this past September. He didn’t view his disability as an impediment; he figured if he can get around the city on his own, he can play handball. In fact this time around he won’t let anything but death prevent him from playing. Though losing his sight entirely is a possibility, he hadn’t given it any thought. “Basically I don’t want to find out how my life is gonna be if I’m completely blind,” he said. However, his doctor told him that surgery to repair his sight might be an option at some point, and in the meantime he maintains a positive outlook on life. His family and teammates have also been supportive.
