Janusz Świtaj was just 17 years old when he lost all use of his limbs and the ability to breathe independently.
The Polish teenager’s life was changed irrevocably, and from that point on he required the constant use of a ventilator to stay alive.
30 years and 314 days have passed since then, earning Janusz a record for the longest time to live with a medical ventilator.
Despite being wheelchair-bound and having breathing difficulties, Janusz endeavours to live life to the fullest – he travels, attends sports games, enjoys trying new activities, and is currently in his fourth year of postgraduate studies in cognitive behavioural therapy.
Having overcome severe depression and the desire to end his life, Janusz now uses his education to provide professional help to those in need, and he hopes his story can inspire others struggling with similar situations.
Janusz's disabilities are the result of a traffic accident he was involved in two weeks before his 18th birthday in 1993.
After colliding with the back of a rapidly braking truck while driving his motorcycle, Janusz flew out of his seat and hit his head on the truck with such force that his spinal cord was crushed.
He spent the following six years in an intensive care unit before eventually returning to his home once a ventilator was set up there.
“I saw no further prospects for myself at that time,” Janusz recalls. “I was left with a whole lot of unfulfilled youthful dreams.”
Janusz fell into a deep depression for several years, and in 2007, aged 32, he submitted a request to discontinue his treatment, sparking a nationwide debate in Poland about legalizing euthanasia.
As a result of all the media attention, Janusz started to receive help through fundraisers and benevolent donors.
In addition to having a baclofen pump surgically implanted, which eased his “painful spastic tensions”, Janusz was provided with a personal carer, more suitable living conditions, a mouth-operated computer mouse, and a specialized wheelchair equipped with a portable ventilator.
The mouth-operated mouse was immensely helpful to Janusz, who had previously found it incredibly difficult – but not impossible – to use a computer. Upon returning home from the hospital in 1999, he learnt to control his computer’s cursor using an eraser-tipped pencil held in his mouth, pressing the keyboard’s number buttons to move the cursor.
Using this method, he wrote an autobiography titled 12 Breaths Per Minute, which he describes as “a record of the dramatic struggle for life, health and human dignity”.
Whilst the mouth-operated mouse gave Janusz greater freedom to express himself, it was his new wheelchair and portable ventilator that gave him back the physical freedom he’d been robbed of.
Accompanied by his carer, Janusz was able to explore his country again, just as he did during his teenage years. He visited several cities including Krakow and Gdansk, ascended the peak of Kasprowy Wierch, travelled to the coast to see the Baltic Sea, and even went abroad to Austria to meet a friend he’d made online.
In addition to doing his postgraduate degree, Janusz currently works as a fundraiser and internet market analyst for the Anna Dymna "Despite Everything" Foundation.
Reflecting on his journey up to this point, he said: “During my 30 years on a ventilator, I have achieved a huge amount of success in life, met exceptional people and created unforgettable memories.
“I very much hope that my story will inspire those struggling with a similar life situation and give them hope.”
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