"After losing my sight, I had two choices. One was to sit and cry over my fate; the other was to fight to stand on my own feet. Don't forget that I know shapes, colors, people, because, as you know, I went completely blind at the age of ten. So, I struggled a lot to be able to walk comfortably on the streets by myself or to live every moment as if I had never lost my sight. Throughout all these years, what I fought with tooth and nail to keep is my dignity, and I believe that is the most important value in life, my friend."

Markos Kykivarakis. A unique, remarkable man. Blind since childhood, but born a winner. He found the strength within himself to turn a disadvantage into an advantage, to stand tall and fully develop his other senses and abilities. He became a man full of light. He earned acceptance and respect.

His social sensitivities pushed him to take an active role in the Blind People’s Struggle, when they were demanding improvement of their status, state care programs, and dignity, as well as in union struggles.

Since he was young, he loved the yellow and black flag with the two-headed eagle, and he loved the football team of AEK. He became a legendary fan like his team. Loved by everyone. The kind of supporter that every club would want to have. Proud of the Athletic Union of Constantinople, he follows all their games, living with passion their wins and losses.

This man shows us through his example how big and beautiful life is when you have an open mind and a big heart. Like Markos’s."