A 24-year-old who dived for the cross on Epiphany Day in 2021 and became paralysed claims he has not lost hope in life nor his faith as a result of the tragedy.
Giannis explained that when he dived in to the cold waters of Amarynthos on Epiphany Day last year to catch the Holy Cross he hit his head during the dive and as a result of that injury has been in a wheelchair ever since.
The lead up to the day as quite different as he explains. He and his father had set off to go to Amarynthos to throw the Holy Cross in the waters, on their own, in order to fulfill a religious vow 'tama' for his brother who suffers from leukemia.
Notably, earlier on Christmas day Gianni donated bone marrow donor in order to help his ill brother.
Upon reaching Amarynthos, Giannis, his father and two other friends, all dived in the water, but he suffered a serious neck injury during the process leaving him a coma for days. Eventually when he came to, doctors diagnosed total quadriplegia.
Nonetheless Giannis says he has not lost his faith and remains optimistic about life, despite facing challenges.
In a tragic twist, this year his brother Stergios also dived to catch the Cross, in order to fulfill his vow 'tama' for him!
