At the end of a difficult year, Herbalife Gran Canaria forward Beqa Burjanadze remembers the man who healed him as a child and looks forward to the day when fans can fill the stands again.
Beqa Burjanadze, Gran Canaria: 'The strong never quit!'
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6 mins read
First things first, we are in a good position in the 7DAYS EuroCup. We have the chance to finish first in our regular season group, which would help us in the next stage, but we haven't locked up first place yet. We still have to play on the road against Trento next week, which is very important for us. We have already beaten Trento by 10 points at home, even when they were missing some players that night because of the virus. It is a decisive game for both teams, so we hope we can get to the Top 16 with a first-place finish in our regular season group. We know it is not going to be an easy game, in any case. We can lose by up to 9 points and still be first, but only if Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana loses its own game. Right now we have one more win than both Trento and Olimpija. The best thing we can do is win the game and that way, we would avoid any other scenarios.
It has been a tough year for everyone, and 2020 will be over in three weeks. A lot of people lost their beloved ones, and unfortunately, I also lost someone who was really important to me, Shota Kratsashvili, whom I knew as "Papa Shota". When I found out, it was really, really sad news for me and my family. I can say he saved my life and cured my heel problems, on both feet, when I was a kid and was not able to even walk. I was able to walk again because of his treatment and eventually play professional basketball. We lost a person that helped a lot of people, not just sportsmen, who did a lot of great things in his life. He was humble and had unbelievable human values, a regular person who could talk to you open-mindedly about anything, without being shy. I have a lot of respect and appreciation for his children, who follow the family business, his legacy. His family has taken over and keeps doing that treatment.
"When I was a kid, I was not able to even walk."
Like I said, I had problems in both heels when I was a kid, to the point that I was not able to walk. My parents had to sacrifice everything for me. They started selling things like our glasses and plates at home, then they sold their car and then their house. We started selling our own furniture and ended up selling the whole house so that they could afford my surgery, and it didn't work. Then it came this blessed day in which my Mom talked to one of her workmates at Georgian TV about it and she brought up Shota's name. We contacted him and he cured me in two weeks' time with his cream, made of goat's grease and a black ointment with a terrible smell. I have to say I fell in love with that terrible smell once I was cured! It is the best gift I got in my life. He told me I would walk in two weeks, and I not only walked but also ran. I was eight years old. I didn't believe it at first but the results came very soon, and then I could hardly believe it. I will always be thankful to him.
In our first visits to Shota, we had to take the bus and my Mom had to carry me to his house. Those were hard days for me, psychologically and emotionally. It wasn't easy at all, to go through something like this, your own son having those physical problems and not being able to walk. When your problem is something personal, that only affects you, then you can carry it in a better way, it is easier. But if something happens to your child, it is a whole different story. Like I said, it wasn't easy but we managed to pull through.
Papa Shota and my Mom would be two of the people I would think of if I ever win a big title, along with my Dad, who passed away when I was 14. Of course, I would keep my own family in mind. I am married and have a two-year-old daughter and another one on the way! Every good thing I get in my basketball career is for God and all for the people I mentioned, above everyone else.
So going back to what I was saying, 2020 finally comes to an end and 2021 is almost here with a lot of challenges. First, I hope everyone will be healthy when the new year starts and that we can beat the COVID-19 pandemic. I have to be optimistic, and I hope we can get back to normal soon and start to see fans at basketball courts around the world. I hope Gran Canaria fans can come back soon and support us before the end of the season, we really miss them. I am sure they will cheer for us even more when they come back! We are in a good situation in the EuroCup and want to keep growing as a team to have the possibility to make history here in Gran Canaria. And I hope to be part of this history, of course.
"I hope Gran Canaria fans can come back soon."
So I told you a little bit about my life story. As I always say, the strong never quit. Some people might have given up, but my parents didn't. Everyone faces adversities in life and, like the famous sentence says, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. That is very true: it can make you mentally and even physically stronger. When you come back, you are stronger, wiser and more experienced. All those experiences in life, good and bad, helped me grow as a person and as a basketball player.
Like I said, I wish all EuroCup fans a happy 2021. I hope we are in a better situation at this time next year. Basketball-wise, we hope to keep taking steps forwards in the EuroCup and in the Spanish League. Right now, we are almost at the bottom of the Spanish League standings and hope to bounce back as soon as possible. As far as the EuroCup goes, we have to keep competing at a high level and keep improving because we will probably face better teams in the Top 16 and we have to get ready for that. Before that, we hope we can finish first in our regular season group.