AMERSFOORT An accident caused Abdel Ziamari to face death and undergo 33 operations, but life is smiling upon him again. Despite doctors giving him little chance, the Amersfoort resident overcame. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gave him back his joy of life, and now he wants to start his own Jiu-Jitsu school.
It is Monday afternoon when Ziamari parks his car on the Nijverheidsweg in Amersfoort. He has just returned from Amsterdam, where he practiced his beloved sport of Jiu-Jitsu, and he feels good. Smiling, he gets out and glances at the intersection where, on November 10, 2006, it all went terribly wrong.
The Amersfoort resident was 16 years old when he sped past here on his scooter and was hit by a car that failed to yield to him. Ziamari suffered a massive impact and was thrown meters into the air. That moment drastically changed the life of the now 29-year-old, though he is glad he is still alive. It could have ended very differently, and it is truly a miracle that Ziamari is still breathing independently. ,,Doctors gave me a five percent chance.”
SCARS AND DENTS He was in a coma for eight weeks and underwent a total of 33 operations. By the water's edge, he thinks back to that moment on November 10. ,,I experienced everything consciously. The trauma helicopter was also called, but the ambulance took me directly to the UMC. All my internal organs were perforated, and once in the hospital, my light went out. From there, I remember nothing more.”
That's a good thing, too, because they were terrible moments. At one point, he had to make an important choice and decided to give the green light for a dangerous operation. It succeeded, and Abdel Ziamari was determined to fight his way back. ,,My whole body is now covered in scars. Just look,” he says, as he lifts his shirt. ,,All scars and dents. After all those operations, I lived in Hoogstraat in Utrecht for rehabilitation. I could barely do anything. It was terrible. But one thing was certain, I would come out of this strong.”
CONTROLLED NEUTRALIZATION This sport is a martial art whose goal is to gain a dominant position and ensure that an attacker is controlled as quickly as possible. These are often 'ground fights', and despite negative advice from doctors, Ziamari has been practicing it for six years now. ,,Every day I drive to Amsterdam and train six times a week. I can handle it mentally and physically. Believe me,” Ziamari says, as he stands looking at the water. ,,This sport saved my life.”
The sense of community that the sport brings him in Amsterdam, he now wants to bring to Amersfoort. At A-dance, he has already arranged that from May onwards, he will have access to a hall every Wednesday and Friday, and he wants to fill it with people from Amersfoort. ,,I want to start my own Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu school under the name AmersfoortBJJ. While many martial arts focus on delivering punches or kicks, this sport focuses on neutralizing the opponent in a controlled manner without causing harm. The techniques learned here are based on intellect and not on brute force. This makes it a very suitable self-defense system for men, women, and children alike.”
Abdel Ziamari believes that people in Amersfoort can benefit greatly from this sport, and he hopes for support from the municipality. ,,You can use this to get young people off the streets. That has much more effect than building a football field. Besides the sport, I can tell them my life story and instill discipline/motivation. In Amsterdam, I see people truly blossom with self-confidence, and I wish that for Amersfoort residents too.”
As he makes his way to the car, he shares joyful news. ,,I am going to be a father for the first time soon, and I am super proud of that. In this place, here on Nijverheidsweg, much misery began, but that chapter is closed. Life is smiling again, and that is partly thanks to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.”
Source: De Stad Amersfoort
This article was originally published in Dutch. Read the Dutch original.
