#19 GREECE Green Velocity - Crash the Habit: Μικρές Ιστορίες
- EERcomt
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
Παρακάτω παρατίθεται μία από τις 44 ιστοριούλες που απαρτίζουν τη συλλογή μαρτυριών από ατυχήματα σε στεριά, αέρα και θάλασσα 11 νεαρών ατόμων από διάφορα μέρη της Ευρώπης και του κόσμου.
ΙΣΤΟΡΙΑ #19
ΑΥΤΟΚΙΝΗΤΟΔΡΟΜΟΣ
by Katerina Kalafati (Greek), European Solidarity Corps; ESAI EN ROI volunteer
ESC volunteering in teams DHIAfest campaign diffusion International Campaign
Greece|| Transportation Accident Stories
Supporting Organization: ESAI EN ROI
The Curve Above Our House
My name is Katerina Kalafati.
You could say that my name carries a memory—a name born from love, but also from tragedy. My mother was pregnant with me when her sister came to visit her in Chalkidiki. It was meant to be a joyful time. My aunt wanted to be close, to feel the first signs of my presence, to share laughter and family warmth as new life was growing.
That night, everything changed.
My aunt went out with friends. It was just supposed to be a fun evening, nothing unusual. At some point, a friend of a friend offered her a ride to a beach party on his motorcycle. She left her bag behind with her friends, thinking she'd be back soon. She had no idea how dangerous that choice would be.
At the beach party, the man drank heavily and used drugs—choices he thought he could handle. But he couldn’t. On the way back, high and drunk, he lost control of the motorcycle on a sharp turn in the road. My aunt fell. The turn—so hauntingly close—was just above my grandmother’s house. But no one knew. Not until morning.
By the time anyone found her, it was far too late.
The nearest hospital then—and still today—is at least a 40 to 60-minute drive. A drive too long for someone fighting for their life. If that road had been safer, if that man had been sober, if a hospital had been closer—maybe my name would’ve never needed to carry this story.
But it does.
And now, I tell it because accidents are never just accidents. They're chains of choices. Some small. Some selfish. All with consequences. That night became part of my family’s story. Part of my name.
This story is not just a memory. It’s a reminder.
Never drive under the influence.
And never underestimate how vital accessible healthcare is.
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