After a serious car accident in 2019, Jack de Koning’s life was completely shattered. The robust youth worker from Breda broke his back in four places and had to learn to walk again. But after three years of hard rehabilitation, his dream is now coming true. Jack will soon run up the stairs of the art museum in Philadelphia, just like boxer Rocky. Entirely in the style of his idol, movie star Sylvester Stallone.
Jack de Koning does not remember anything about the unilateral car accident he had on October 28, 2019 in Rijsbergen. He had an epileptic fit behind the wheel and crashed hard into a tree. “I broke my neck, wrist, ankle and my back in four places,” he says. “It was quite emotionally severe when the doctor told me about the damage. For example, I had to learn to walk all over again.”
The King suddenly faced an enormous physical and mental challenge, but found a special way to fight and recover. During his rehabilitation, he drew strength and motivation from the movie Rocky I with actor Sylvester Stallone.
“I’m gonna run up those stairs like Rocky in Philadelphia and then rock hard”
“I’ve been a Rocky fan for years and a fragment this movie became an inspiration to me pretty soon after the accident,” says Jack. “The best moment of all is when Rocky runs through the streets of Philadelphia as a champion and is hailed as a hero. Finally running he with his arms in the air up a grand staircase where he turns at the top and says the legendary words ‘I this it‘ shouts.”
“I played this clip hundreds of times via YouTube on my television,” De Koning continues. “Often in the evening when I was alone at home and then with the sound loud over the speakers. The best part is the version with the music track ‘Eye of the tiger‘. Also during my rehabilitation, I train seven times a week, I listened to that many times.”
Although he couldn’t even walk at first, the clip from the American blockbuster became a dream and later also a goal for Jack de Koning. Where Rocky defeated the reigning champion as a hopeless, third-rate boxer in 1976, the Breda native wants to put his misery behind him in almost the same way in 2023. Soon he will leave for Philadelphia.
“The trip to America will be quite emotional and I’m already nervous.”
“I can now run carefully again,” says De Koning about his plan. “Or actually it’s more jogging. At the beginning of April I have one last, small operation and then I’m getting on a plane to America to make my dream come true. Then in Philadelphia I’m going to run up those stairs just like Rocky and then rock hard ‘I did it‘ shout.”
“It is the end of a difficult time and hopefully it removes the unpleasant memory of the accident,” concludes Jack de Koning. “From now on it’s looking at what I can do and not looking at what I can’t do. It’s getting quite emotional and I’m already nervous. But I’m going to climb those stairs and feel like world champion.”