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“I believe you can do it, daughter!” mother of young Nastya Vikulova from Samara has always supported her only daughter in all her endeavors and desires. Nastya was born at an early stage of pregnancy and spent a long time in the department of pathology of newborns under artificial ventilation. Doctors had predicted an uneasy future for the little girl — she would never be able to see. The terrible diagnosis plunged Nastya’s parents into a terrible depression for a few months, but then the young couple pulled themselves together and decided, at all costs, to make their child’s life bright and full even without sunlight. And they succeeded.
Now the 21-year-old Anastasia Vikulova is studying at the correspondence department of Samara National Research University, majoring in psychological and pedagogical education. According to the girl, since childhood she was interested in understanding people and their behavior, she wanted to know how to overcome fears and understand oneself. But love of psychology is not the only hobby of a girl with a visual impairment. Despite her health disorder, Nastya is keen on music and literature, but her special interest is sports. Nastya is a member of the Paralympic swimming team, and she feels at home in the water.
“There are very few parents in the world who have become not only a support, but also the eyes for their child. Nastya grew up to be an independent and determined girl who, with the support of her mom and dad, conquered many heights in sports, science, and music,” says Natalia Klementieva , tutor at Samara University, who accompanies all students with disabilities.
Parents gave her the opportunity to develop her talents
Anastasia Vikulova grew up in the Bolshaya Glushitsa village. The parents of the special girl decided to socialize their daughter and sent Nastya to an ordinary rural kindergarten. Anna Vasilievna is grateful to the kindergarten staff who treated the blind little girl with understanding and special care. When the time had come to go to school, her parents made a wise decision and sent their daughter to a special correctional educational boarding school No. 17 for the blind and visually impaired children in Samara. Nastya successfully graduated from the secondary school and entered a technical college to become a teacher of preschool education, and this year she decided to get higher education at the University as well.
“We always gave our daughter an opportunity to try everything. She graduated from the music school in the class of piano, attended a literary club, recited poetry. Nastya has a phenomenal memory, she easily memorizes large texts and can learn a poem from the first reading. We saw all her talents and tried to develop them,” the girl’s mother told KP Samara reporter. “Several years ago, a doctor advised us to take up swimming as rehabilitation. My daughter liked the sports so much that it’s now part of her life.”
Water is her element
When Nastya jumped into the pool for the first time, she realized that she was in her element. According to the girl, it was sports that conquered her soul, despite the fact that she had been into music and literature for a long time and had a great interest in them. After a few months in the pool, Nastya went to a competition in Moscow, and brought two gold medals and one silver from the trip.
“At that point I wasn’t practicing professionally, it was just swimming for me. But that’s when I got a taste for it, knew the feeling and excitement, and decided I wanted to do it. Eight years have passed since then, and every day I realize that I made the right choice by dedicating myself to this sport,” confesses Anastasia.
Continued training in the pool even with a broken arm
The blind girl’s mother supports her daughter in everything. They go to competitions together and train in the pool. Anna Vasilievna uses a long stick with a soft tip to direct her blind daughter when she comes close to the edge of the pool. But one day a girl had an accident during a training.
“Four years ago, Nastya broke her arm practicing with a trainer. We don’t blame the coach; she was working with a large group of athletes and couldn’t keep track of everyone. There were children with impaired hearing and the blind Nastya in the group. My daughter was not stopped in time, and fractured her hand against the edge of the pool,” said the mother of the athlete.
Nastya didn’t show that she was injured and continued her training. The brave athlete didn’t want the injury to interfere with her training, but her mother still insisted that she had her arm examined in the hospital. The doctors diagnosed a fracture and put a cast on it. Anastasia was very upset, because there were serious competitions ahead in which she had to participate.
The doctors did everything they could to make Nastya’s recovery go faster. Mom and girl are grateful to the medics who prescribed various physical treatments, massages and other therapeutic activities, so Anastasia performed at the swimming competition and won prizes. Her drive and endurance helped her become a member of the Russian Paralympic swimming team. Now her treasury of awards comprises more than a hundred diplomas, certificates, medals and 11 Cups of different degrees.
Participates in social activities and gives lectures to other students
In addition to sports, Anastasia Vikulova takes part in public activities. The girl enjoys talking about her life with blindness and helping other people with disabilities regain faith in themselves. In 2016, Anastasia was awarded the Badge of Honor of the “Hot Heart” All-Russian Public-State Initiative. In 2020, Anastasia became the winner of the regional public event “People’s Recognition” in the “Hope and Support” category.
On December 8, 2022, Anastasia Vikulova gave a lecture to students at Samara University under the initiative of the regional branch of the Knowledge of Heroes Russian society. Now such lectures with prominent personalities are taking place all over the country. Samara University was offered to find such a hero or choose one on its own. Natalia Klementieva, tutor for students with disabilities, suggested Anastasia, who was immediately and unconditionally approved.
“She is the best motivator for students. Nastya studies in the same environment and has such outstanding achievements despite her disability,” says Nastya’s mentor at the University. “In addition, this lecture will also take place as part of the state program “Interaction with people with developmental disabilities”, which is being taught at Samara University for the second year for the 1st and 2nd year students.”
Nastya’s parents do not limit their daughter’s independence
Despite her lack of vision, Anastasia Vikulova has become quite an independent young woman by her age. Her parents, of course, are always anxious about her, but they still try to give their daughter more freedom. The Vikulov family has an apartment in Samara, where Nastya lives for the duration of the session. Sometimes mother leaves her alone in Samara, and the blind girl successfully copes with household chores on her own.
“Her apartment is always clean, she can cook herself a simple meal,” Anna Vasilievna proudly shares. “Of course, I feel uneasy, but I still understand that her father and I will not last forever, and she needs to be independent. I hope that in the near future, Nastya’s personal life will settle, we’ll see her get married and we’ll raise our grandchildren, who will be a good support for Nastya on her life journey.”
Faber is her best friend and assistant
The blind young woman from Samara already has a good faithful friend who helps her move around safely and live in the big city. A Labrador retriever named Faber joined the Vikulov family after Nastya’s graduation from a rehabilitation school in Moscow, where she successfully passed her exam. The guide dog literally freed the girl’s mother’s hands and feet. This miracle of a dog helps Nastya get to the training and school safely.
“He sees traffic signals, low branches, puddles and curbs. I can trust Faber, because he has become the most loyal friend to my daughter,” says the blind girl’s mother.
Faber also teaches Nastya to be independent. This breed has a genetic predisposition to overeating, so the owner of the guide dog has to put away all “yummy” things. Nastya keeps the apartment in order, and her parents are happy about their daughter’s independence and responsibility.
Wants to become a psychologist to help other people
A girl with a difficult history has faced many challenges on the way to her goals. The life of a blind child was not smooth; she was bullied, insulted and humiliated. However, the support of her parents, who always taught her to fight back, helped Nastya stay on track and reach many heights in various aspects of life.
“I feel confident that I can share my experience with others and help them through difficult moments. I want to become a sports psychologist to combine my two favorite activities in one. But I am also interested in child psychology and the psychology of relationships,” Anastasia Vikulova shared with us.
Source: samara.kp.ru
