The long road to a happy childhood. 2

Some of you may remember Dima's story, but for most of you it is still new. Dima is a cheerful, smart and active boy. He is the first desired child in a young family. It so happened that the baby was diagnosed: Cerebral palsy, spastic tetraparesis. Dima's mother tells us more:

"Since childhood, all of us, especially Dima, have had to fight for a happy, fulfilling life. For 5 long years, Dima has been undergoing rehabilitation in various centers in Ukraine. The fight for a happy childhood and a full life began at the Kozyavkin International Rehabilitation Clinic. Dima showed improvements after the first course. (Note that before the first course, Dima crawled like a scout, could not sit up on his own and was unsteady in sitting). Our family hoped that a couple of such courses would be enough for Dima to walk well, and we wouldn't have to come there anymore. But our hopes were in vain, and we came to Kozyavkin's clinic 5 more times.

Then we found a wonderful physical rehabilitator who started coming to our home and working with our son. Each session at home lasted 4 hours. The results after the sessions at home were also encouraging. We added a swimming pool to all these sessions. At the age of two, our boy was already standing up and walking with a support. Next came rehabilitation at the Krok Za Krok, Prometheus, Samosuzhka, and Apis-Melifika centers.

Dima took his first and uncertain steps at the age of 3 on St. Nicholas Day. These were the most desirable steps. We still have to work with coordination to this day, but our happiness knew no bounds, and we thought we were doing everything right".

Now Dima is 5 years old. In May, due to a flat-valgus deformity of the feet, the boy had to undergo surgery on his legs, which was impossible to do without. Dima could not fully stand on his feet, which led to unsteady standing and frequent falls while walking. 

After the surgery, the boy had to wear plaster casts for a month. He bravely endured this period because he realized that it was all for the good. After the casts came off, everything started all over again. Dima learned to bend his legs at the knees, lift them, crawl on his knees, stand up, stand and take his first steps.

After the surgery, he underwent two rehabilitation courses at the Kyiv City Clinical Hospital, a rehabilitation course at the Victoria Center and a course at the Ya Je Center. The family paid for most of the rehabilitation and the surgery on their own, as state funds are only enough for one course. At the moment, the parents do not have the financial means to pay for further treatment, only the husband works in the family, and, unfortunately, they are having a hard time.

To help Dima recover better after the surgery, he needs to undergo a rehabilitation course at the Ya Je Center. So we ask everyone who cares to help the boy with his postoperative recovery. We really want him to go to school in September with healthy legs, because he loves to play with children and learn new things.