About me

Zbigniew Marcinkowski

ZiBi

Hi, my name is Zbigniew, but you can call me ZiBi. Like most people, my adventure with computers started with games. The first computer I came in contact with was a Commodore 64 belonging to my friend from the backyard. I will never forget running games from tapes. In 1992 I got my own computer, an Amiga 600, and a year later it was traded in for a PC 486 SX with a magic “turbo” button. This was the beginning of my adventure with tinkering with hardware and different computer systems. It also influenced my education. After graduating from technical school, I went to a polytechnic.

Unfortunately, disease is a part of my life. I have had rheumatoid arthritis (RA) for more than 20 years. It started right after I graduated from college, and at first it didn’t interfere too much with my daily functioning. I was still able to work and continue my education through post-graduate studies, Cisco academies, and other training. However, the disease had damaged my hip so badly that I had to have hip replacement surgery. After six months of rehabilitation, I was able to return to work and live a relatively normal life.

A few years later, the disease became more aggressive and forced me to stop working. After my health stabilized, I decided to have another surgery, this time on my hands. The disease had deformed my hands. In two years, I underwent four surgeries to reconstruct my right hand. Everything was going well until I developed problems with my cervical spine. The main reason was a car accident I had a few years before. The situation was really serious because the pressure on my spinal cord prevented me from even sitting. I had to undergo another surgery to fuse several vertebrae of my cervical spine. All this made me a disabled person who needs help with simple everyday things.

I have been in rehabilitation for over a year now. I still have a long way to go to regain my independence, but I already have the strength to do something extra. I’ve decided to create and maintain a blog to explore, understand, and learn new things. This serves as an additional form of rehabilitation for me, allowing me to take my mind off my health problems and focus on other aspects of life.

This is my story in a nutshell. Although life hasn’t always been kind to me, I remain an optimist and firmly believe that it is always possible to rise above difficult circumstances. Looking back, I can say that adversity has made me stronger. I’ve learned not to worry about things that are out of my control, and I’ve gained significant self-distance. Despite all the hurdles, I’m still a guy with a smile on my face.

Thank you very much and greetings to everyone who reads my blog.