Robert Trathen
Karim Rostami has defied the odds with polio, spent gruelling hours in the water and been on the verge of hypothermia while training for events that have raised thousands of dollars for charities.
But it’s his latest mission that is extra-meaningful – helping a Kiwi relay team swim, cycle and run across the country he credits for granting him hope, opportunity and love when life became doomed in his native Afghanistan.
Arriving in Aotearoa as an 18-year-old asylum seeker, the kind-hearted entrepreneur has worked incessantly to build a life before refocusing on helping others.
“A lot of the crazy events and fundraisers I do is because New Zealand’s done so much for me,” he tells Woman’s Day from his Pt. Chev Beach Café, which he owns with fiancée Ruth Robertson. “This beautiful country gave me food, a job and a home. All a man wants in life is a fair shot and I had that, so it’s time to give back.”
A “fair shot” isn’t what Karim was handed in Kabul, Afghanistan, yet he fondly recalls a good childhood, despite contracting polio at 18 months old. The viral disease commonly affects leg muscles and can cause irreversible paralysis.
Greetings from Afghanistan. Back row (from left): Sister Roya, dad Amin and mum Kamilla. Front row: Karim with younger brothers Mobeen and Rahim.
Told Karim would never walk again, his mother Kamilla tirelessly administered home remedies, massages and therapy to help him regain some mobility.
“It was still hard going to school and seeing friends jumping around and playing soccer, knowing I couldn’t,” recalls Karim. “I was a fiery, positive kid and accepted my condition, but I still had a tough time.”
Life became even more challenging when the Taliban seized Kabul in 1996.
“It was like a horror show – violence, public executions, home invasions and terror throughout the city,” he tells. “There was no hope and nothing left for us. Due to my confident, outspoken attitude, my family decided I should leave for somewhere I could build a better future. I never in a million years thought I’d live in another country, especially as a refugee, but it was a matter of survival.
“I can’t describe how happy or emotional I was when I arrived because I was in shock.”
With no family, no money and limited mobility, Karim learned English and entered hospitality. His parents and five siblings eventually joined him in New Zealand.
He met Dunedin-raised Ruth while the two, both in their forties, worked at a café and although she initially rejected him (“He still cries about this!” she jokes), they eventually started dating.
While holidaying in Taupō in 2014, Karim was involved in a boating accident, during which his best friend almost drowned. Declaring he’d learn to swim, Karim decided to attempt a 3km Auckland Harbour crossing while fundraising for Surf Lifesaving NZ. “The money started rolling in, but I didn’t know how to swim!” he laughs. A fellow gym-goer showed “Kiwi ingenuity” by creating a rubber contraption to tie Karim’s legs together, enabling him to float better.
Competing in Ironman Taupō, Karim’s first steps towards becoming a “charity junkie”.
Successfully raising $3000, Karim was inundated with messages from people he inspired and instantly became a “charity junkie”. He has since raised $46,000 for polio eradication by doing the Ironman 70.3, then collectively raised $250,000 for the Westpac Rescue Helicopter (swimming 20km from Waiheke Island to downtown Auckland). A team effort for the Great Barrier 100km Challenge raised almost $400,000 for St John.
Next, the Due Drop Hope Challenge will see him help a relay team, including fomer All Black Ian Jones, triathlete Rick Wells and comedian Mike King swim, cycle and run from Cape Reinga to Wellington while fundraising for Mike’s I Am Hope youth mental health charity and its Gumboot Friday initiative.
Raising money for St John, alongside All Black Ian.
With polio leaving him with weak legs and limited blood circulation, Karim – described as a “walking miracle” by university students who studied his condition – has been on the verge of hypothermia while training for such events. Despite worrying about him, Ruth is his greatest supporter.
Karim proposed to Ruth at Wilson Bay, a swimming spot on Queenstown’s Lake Wakatipu, on his birthday last November.
“Our relationship feels more special and committed now – like, you’re mine!”
Fiancée Ruth is in awe of Karim’s achievements. “He’s had so much chucked at him.”
“Are you getting cheesy?” giggles Ruth, before adding how proud she is of Karim. “He’s had so much chucked at him throughout life. It’s hard enough leaving your country, let alone as a polio survivor.”
Admits Karim, “It was hard and will continue being hard – living with polio isn’t easy. I’ll never be able to say, ‘I’m out of the woods’. My legs function around 20-30%, so I can’t run for miles or up stairs.
“The worst part is they can give way any time, any where. I’ve broken my finger, knees and wrist from falls. It’s hard. But if people look at me and become inspired to conquer their own challenges or go, ‘If he can smash an ironman, I can’, that makes me happy.”
The Due Drop Hope Challenge is a 16-day relay event to swim/bike/run the length of the North Island, from Cape Reinga to the Beehive in Wellington, to raise money for Mike King’s
I Am Hope youth mental health charity. To donate, head to givealittle.co.nz/cause/hope-challenge-givealittle.
