From four walls to the street and into the trends. How a courier from Tashkent is learning to live again. Video

From four walls to the streets and trending. How a courier from Tashkent is learning to live again. Video

Three years ago, a severe industrial accident divided Anatoly Makhmutov's life into "before" and "after." After losing his arm, he spent two years virtually shut inside four walls, processing what had happened in complete isolation. Today, Anatoly works as a foot courier, actively runs a video blog, and is seriously determined to make it into the Paralympic team. In an interview with Podrobno.uz, he spoke honestly about what helped him overcome his fear and go out to people again, where he finds the strength to joke about life's difficulties, what reality lies behind the popular videos that brought him not only recognition but also a wave of hate, and why, despite everything, he still sincerely believes in the power of human kindness.

Anatoly Makhmutov is 35 years old. Currently, he works as a delivery courier in Tashkent, tries his hand at video blogging, and is gradually returning to an active life. Previously, he worked as a waiter, and for the last two years, he has been relearning how to manage daily life with one arm.

The tragedy occurred in August 2023 at a brick factory. Anatoly's arm got caught in the belt mechanism of a press. He prefers not to recall the details of that day—the memories are too difficult. However, his first thought after the catastrophe caused confusion rather than depression.

"I was in shock. I always loved and knew how to cook—things like manti, dumplings... And the first reasonable question for me was not how to live on, but how am I going to peel potatoes now?" Anatoly recalls.

While his friends were looking for ways to help him, his thoughts were occupied by this seemingly minor everyday detail, which instantly turned into an insurmountable obstacle. Over time, he found a way—now Anatoly cooks for himself again. He sits down, places a clean napkin on his knees, and slowly, with special dexterity, peels potatoes.

According to him, the first year turned out to be the darkest and most difficult. His mother, who has been living outside Uzbekistan for a long time, flew in from Russia to help her son. She settled in the apartment of a friend who had gone on vacation and spent an entire year by Anatoly's side, dedicating all her strength to his recovery and psychological support.

"The climate here is not for her at all; she is used to Russia. But it was thanks to her support that I was able to hold on. Without my mother, it would have been absolutely unbearable, because back then I was completely crushed morally," he shares.

Two years without going outside

For the first two years after the injury, Anatoly barely went outside—it seemed impossible to cross the threshold due to an acute sense of awkwardness in front of others. Even when he finally decided to attend free computer courses, the internal barrier was difficult to overcome:

"I was riding the bus, and I couldn't shake the feeling that everyone around was looking only at me, but then I realized that actually, no one was looking. Everyone has their own worries and business; people simply don't care about you."

The turning point in his life occurred not after long conversations with specialists, but thanks to a harsh and direct talk with friends who did not allow him to feel sorry for himself.

"Why are you lying around, what is this depression? Come on, get up, go to work!" Anatoly recounts their words.

At the same time, they suggested a simple, practical idea—delivering groceries or posting advertisements. These simple words hit home, and by January, Anatoly started working as a foot courier.

Why on foot?

Getting a job as a courier turned out to be easy—a short briefing in Russian lasted twenty minutes, after which he could start taking orders. Anatoly immediately refused a bicycle—the risk of falling and injuring his only arm was too high. He has to walk, but even this is not easy: due to the constant load on one side and the lack of balance, his back and posture suffer.

"My back bends specifically to the left side. Over time, there is a possibility that I will be crooked because of carrying heavy loads. Therefore, I try to reduce the load—I work every other day, for three to four hours."

When Anatoly was just starting out, it was winter—icy conditions were added to the unfamiliar physical strain. His legs, out of practice after two years within four walls, literally gave out: he had to walk up to forty thousand steps per shift. He slipped more than once, and then spent weeks recovering from the twisting pain in his joints.

"Diary of a Limbless"

In parallel with delivery, Anatoly started keeping a video blog—entirely on his own initiative, without anyone's prompting. The first shoots were difficult, as he did not understand at all how to behave on camera and edit videos. Over time, he figured it out himself, and later his friend Igor joined the project—he became the cameraman and still helps navigate the intricacies of editing in CapCut.

Anatoly came up with the original name of the channel, Diary of a Limbless, himself using a search engine. Since a similar option was already taken, he added the number eleven to the phrase—his birth date. Now he has changed the name to a shorter and clearer one—anatoliylive.

For him, the blog became a way to convey a simple message to the audience: under any circumstances, one must remain human and not lose optimism. He is sure that in this huge world, there will definitely be responsive people, and the feeling of support gives him a strong incentive to move forward.

Anatoly backs up these words with actions. Recently, he filmed a separate segment about four-month-old Leon, diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy, whose family is raising money for expensive treatment. The blogger refused a formal repost and, on his own initiative, made a full-fledged video to draw attention to the child's plight.

Fame and hate

One of Anatoly's videos unexpectedly started trending and gathered about 700,000 views, but instead of success, it brought only disappointment. In that video, he asked the audience for advice and was looking for a lawyer due to housing problems. He missed the main point—he did not mention his disability at all, and the viewers simply did not notice in the frame that he was missing an arm.

"As a result, people saw a healthy grown man sitting and complaining about life," he explains the sudden wave of negativity.

According to his observations, angry comments mostly poured in from users in neighboring countries. Anatoly believes that the audience is simply tired of endless requests for help and fundraisers, behind which there is often nothing.

The offense was strong—for a whole month, he remained silent and did not check the comments at all. Then he gathered his strength, recorded a new video where he honestly explained the situation and apologized to the viewers. Now he looks at that incident calmly and without resentment, admitting that from the outside, an adult man complaining indeed looks bad.

On the streets of Tashkent, however, the reaction is completely different. People recognize Anatoly, approach him to take photos, and say warm words. He is still a bit lost from such sincere attention, but admits that it gives him huge support.

"On equal terms"

Over these years, Anatoly's attitude toward himself has changed significantly:

"I began to love and respect myself much more. And I started to treat the world with open kindness. Without kindness, our world simply won't stand—perhaps this is my main life motto."

At the same time, he clearly distinguishes between sympathy and condescension. He needs equal treatment from society, not pity: Anatoly considers himself an absolutely normal and complete person, albeit with his own physical characteristics.

By the way, after the launch of his blog, activity around the topic of inclusion has noticeably grown—charitable foundations and public organizations have begun to pay attention to the problems of people with disabilities more often. Anatoly was even invited to try out for the Paralympic athletics team, as he was an excellent short-distance runner during his school years. He plans to respond to the offer as soon as he resolves his housing issue.

Turning the blog into a source of income has not yet succeeded—neither Anatoly nor his cameraman friend simply know the mechanisms of monetization. He also tried programming but quickly realized that IT was not his thing:

"My head will just boil, I can't do that," he admits with a smile.

He is much more fascinated by mobilography—the ability to catch the moment and shoot live footage. Anatoly is not going to quit delivery: he plans to continue combining it with blogging, and in the future, with working in a call center. In his opinion, that is where he can bring real benefit to people.

Now he faces another difficult task—he needs to vacate his rented apartment by September 15. Due to the urgent need to resolve the housing issue, Anatoly has temporarily suspended his work. He is looking for at least a small room in a hostel, but the main thing for him is his own corner where he can close the door and remain in silence.

When asked what he would advise those who find themselves in the same difficult situation, Anatoly answers without hesitation:

"Don't give up! Everything in life will definitely work out. The main thing is not to lose heart. Keep your fingers crossed and remember: we are with you!".