Adam Kalinowski Obituary, Death – Adam Kalinowski, Dystonia Europe’s president, died in 2022 at the age of 37. Adam is a Pole who now resides in Ireland. Cervical dystonia was first identified in 2006. To “help himself,” he quickly started a Polish online dystonia support group. The group of 800 people is growing. Dystonia patients in Poland benefit. Adam’s group taught him more in a weekend than he had learned in five years of doctor-hopping. Adam started his campaign through a support group. MyDystonia, a Dystonia Europe app, was useful to him.
As promised, Adam translated it into German. Adam attended the MyDystonia Ambassador meeting in Germany in 2016. Adam assists MyDystonia. He was the secretary of the Polish Dystonia Association. At Dystonia Days 2017, Adam was elected to the DE Board. In his early years, he was in charge of the MyDystonia Ambassador program. The 2018 MyDystonia Ambassadors met in Dublin. Adam spoke his dystonia story at the Dystonia Europe 25th Anniversary event in Brussels in 2018.
Adam, a former Dystonia Europe president, was re-elected in 2019.
For more than two years, Covid-19 has blocked face-to-face DE meetings. Adam’s digital skills enabled us to experiment with new working methods. Adam used Zoom to host two Dystonia General Assemblies and board meetings. His dystonia webinars were attended by European professionals. Adam went to Ireland to study. It lasted several decades. His artwork enhanced the newsletter and website of Dystonia Europe. He inquired about graphics. Last year, Adam created five dystonia videos. He created captivating films to enhance dystonia awareness.
The writings were inspired from dystonia stories. Adam founded this effort with the help of Dystonia Ireland patients and an Irish filmmaker. The completed videos from November will be released in 2023 to raise dystonia awareness and memorialize Adam. In Ireland, Adam enjoys camping and trekking. His photographs transported us to gorgeous Irish landscapes. He went surfing. Adam lived 30 minutes from Ireland’s best surf beach and used surfing to help him cope with his dystonia.
To kick off Dystonia Awareness Month, Adam would send a beach video greeting.
Adam had a large family. He frequently mentioned his sister’s Polish children. Our last gathering in Lund was in September. Two days of fun and brainstorming! Adam advocated for dystonia. He will be missed by our board, organization, and the dystonia community. We will miss his kind words, smile, and voice. Dear friend, may you rest in peace.