The story of Erazem Avelam
Donation protected
Hello, I want to thank you for stoping and taking time to get to know the story of a little boy named Erazem Avelam.
My name is Jerneja Alic (Spela Alic's sister) and I'm the aunt of this beautiful little boy. Because this website is not supported in Slovenia, I tried to be a good auntie and help them raise the money they need by sharing Erazem's loving fathers jurney.
(All the proceeds are going directly towards Erazem's therapy)
Blaz Munda: "My name is Blaz I come from Slovenia - EU, and I am the father of a special little human being named Erazem Avelam. The story begun in august 2012, when Spela and I met at a festival and we both knew it was love at first sight when our eyes crossed. We got to know each other by hanging out and going on trips and dates in the following months.
Our life drastically changed when a blessing happened to us. Spela got pregnant in december 2012, and thank God 21.12.2012 wasn`t the end of the world, so we could enjoy the pregnancy and plan our lifes together with our soon to be born child. We are both young (Spela, 26 - Me, 23), so that was our advantage as we didn`t worry to much about problems that could happen so we could bravely start to get prepared for the baby.
At first we moved in together in my house, but after two months we found a place that looked just like a house from our dreams and rented it. (Don`t ask me where we got the money for it as Spela was still working part time and I had a job that didn`t pay all that much)
So the months went on, and the due date was rapidly aproaching. During all the tests and exams that the doctors got us through everything was ok with the baby and Spela. We also found out that it was going to be a boy, and my heart was overwhemled with the thought that my first child is going to be a boy, with who i would be able to go hiking, rock climbing, cycling, camping....etc. (all the things i love to do)
Then came August. Out due date was August 9, and we were on our heels to meet our new life companion.
So after a wonderfull pregnancy, full of blessings and happienes came labor.
It started to happen at 4 o`clock in the morning so we got up and waited a few hours before going to the hospital. At about 8 a.m. we were in the hospital where the doctors first checked Spela. When they checked her they found out that she was opened only 0,4 inches wich was way to little, so we had to wait until she got opened more. We wanted to go home for the time so we wouldnt have to wait in the hospital but the doctors didn`t let us. That was the first impact of stress that got to us. It was a sunday and they didnt`t have a lot of labours that day, so they decided to give her some drugs to fast forward the natural proces, so we could deliver the baby on that day. The drugs aroused strong pain in her body as her birth canal was rapidly spreading. Although she was given drugs, the labor was going on very slowly, with a lot of pain for Spela. She sensed that something is not right and that she wouldn`t be able to bare the pain, so we asked for a c section.
The doctor said, that it is normal to have pain and it is normal that it lasts for so long, so she didn`t want to make the surgery. (I am not the one to judge her, but I just think she was unexperienced or lazy on that day)
So most of the time we were alone in the room and I did everything, trying to ease the pain and to keep her mind occupied. So cutting the story short, at 7 p.m. Erazem Avelam was born. What was supposed to be a happy moment after all those hours of work put in, was a shock for us instead.
Erazem A. was born with his umbilical cord tied around his neck three times, that would not be a problem but because of the drugs and the time his body was actually squeezing in the birth canal, it arroused his reflex to breathe while he was still inside.
His lungs got filled with water and his brain were deprived of oxygen for several minutes. (no doctor doesn`t know how long)
What was supposed to be a healthy crying pink baby, was just a pale body with no response at all. The worse thing for me and Spela was that he wasn`t even crying. The doctors immediately took him on a table and started to reanimate him. They emptyed his lungs of water, gave him oxygen and compressed his heart.
Erazem an hour after birth, alrealdy "pluged" in.
Slowly his body was getting the pink color it should have and they also told us that he is slowly starting to breath for himself.
As a precaution they took him from Trbovlje hospital (the place we live in), to Ljubljana pediatric hospital for further treatment. They wished to trasport him with a helicopter, but it was busy, so they took him with an ambulance. So at 10 p.m. they rushed him over there.
After 9 months, when we were first united, we as a family were also separated for the first time.The pain was so big that it can`t be said. Little did we know, the next month was going to be the hardest month in our lives.
Spela had to stay in the hospital and they send me home, so I could go to se my child in the morning. I could barely fell asleep and first thing in the morning I went into the hospital to see Spela, before going to Ljubljana to visit my son.
The first day, I went to see him in the ICU, he gave me a look!
Seeing him in the state that he was was very very hard. His little body was entwined with wires, he had two hoses leading through his nose, one was going to his lungs for oxygen and the other to his stomach for feeding. The doctors cooled his body down a few degrees so they could limit brain damage that occured from the oxygen deprivation.
He was heaviliy sedated with morphine and some other drugs for the WHOLE MONTH!! During that month his brains started to develop epileptic seizures, and because of that they had to sedate him even more. Alongside with phenobarbital and topamax (anty-epileptics) he was given morphine and midazolan (both very strong sedatives). So he was actually asleep all the time. We visited him every day twice. As he was in the ICU, we had limited visits, and his condition was going all from good on some days and
to bad on others.
Our bigest joy was, when we could hold him in our hands
Every night we prayed that the next day he will be better then the one before. But we just couldn`t get a break. He was doing fine for two or three days, but the next day it got even worse. We were going through theese cycles the whole month. We were trying to stay positive about it, but the doctors were geting more pesimistic by the day. We decided that we wouldn`t give up on him no mather what, so we came every day, talked to him, sung to him, hold his hands, try to laugh beside him and waited to be away from him when we did all the crying. We didn`t want him to sense that we were afraid.
But after one month our fears "came true". The doctors arranged a meeting with the pediatrician, lead neurologist and a psychologist with us. I will never forget the words that the doctor said to us on that day. He said: "Erazem`s condition is even worse than when he came to us. We are trying to stop the seizures, but we can`t stop them. We think it`s not human to keep him on artificial support, so we should think about getting him off the oxygen." He also said that even if he will start to breathe for himself, his brain is so damaged that he won`t be able to see, hear, eat, move.....he was trying to say that he will be a vegetable for the rest of his life and it would be probably better for him if he died. We fell on our asses (pardon my expresion) when we heard his words. We just couldn`t get ourselves to belive that Erazem will be like that. We cryed for the whole day as our world was starting to colapse around us.
We called our family to come to Ljubljana just to support us, so it would be a bit easyer for us. When the first shock was over, we got our strenght back we decided that we still won`t give up. We found a man who is a bioenergetic and decided to pay him to give Erazem a theraphy. Then we wen`t to the doctors and said to them that they have to put him off all sedatives, put him off the oxygen so Erazem can decide if he wants to live or not. That was the hardest decision in our lives, but it was worth it. Erazem started to breathe unaided, for the first time in his life after one month.
Breathing unaided, for the first time
Suddenly the seizures stoped, and he actually sucked his pacifier. Now the shock was on the doctors side. They couldn`t explain how this happened, but his condition was so good, that he could be transfered from the ICU to a "normal" room. So one week after the doctors told us that he could die, he was released from hospital to home care. It was such a happy day for all of us.
I am sure that mr. Emil (the bioenergetic) saved our boys life. Erazem was eating on his own from a bottle, breathing by his self, and was in the hands of his loving mother and father. The hardest month of all our lives was finally over. It was all a test of our faith and persistancy, and we aced it.
I can`t say that Erazem has fully recovered from the hard labour, but at least he was home. It`s a fact that the brain damage has occured and has left some consequences on him. We started to take him to different alternative methods of healing, wich slowly got him better and they still are. On the day I am writing this, he is an 8 month old boy, and he is slowly gaining ground that he lost in his first month. We got his loud smile from him a week or two ago. I was the proudest father in the world. (and still am)
His developtment is way to slow for a baby his age, but we are still convinced and decided that we will make him totally healthy.
The doctors still frieghten us with epilepsy and stuff like that, but we are trying not to let them get to us. The worst prognose we are fighting is cerebral palsy, wich often evolves in babyes that have suffered from severe hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy. ( http://www.med.nyu.edu/content?ChunkIID=230598)
Now our day to day routine is very tight schedule. We have to excersise with him at least three times a day. Twice a week we go to physiotherapy. As physiotherapy is part of the public health in Slovenia it is free for us.
But along that we are also taking him to several alternative methods that help him a lot. Maybe parents who have a similar problem can try then if they wish. I want to say that, THEY REALLY WORK. Their effects are visible, as I think Erazem Avelam would`t be where he is right now without them.
Let me just put a list of then bellow:
-Bioenergetic ; we went to him once every two weeks at start, now we only go from time to time, when we think we need him, it costs us 60€ for one theraphy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioenergetics
-Craniosacral theraphy ; this is some sort of energetic masage wich works wonders for Erazem. We go to this therapist twice a month from the start and i cant imagine what we would do without it. The price for one theraphy is 35€
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craniosacral_therapy
-Denas ; this is also a theraphy that works wonders for us. There is a russian pediatrician that works in Slovenia. She works with an electric appliance that works on the energy field of the child.
http://denasms.com/
We are also now thinking of going to a homepopath to get him some non-dangerous medicine for the epilepsy.
So to draw the line, Erazem Avelam in now a beautifull boy, but we still have some problems and we have to solve them day by day to overcome the doctors prognosis. We have a chance to make this boy`s life better and Spela and I will do everything it takes to make our little sunshine feel better.
Our only concern is that all of these therapies cost a lot of money, wich we don`t have enough. Our families help out as much as they can. Spela is unemployed, her job is now caring for Erazem as he needs constant supervision.
Our hard work is also now showing its results, as we got his first big smile as a gift about two weeks ago.
We are determined that this child will be able to speak, walk, run, play around with other children, pet our animals, do everything he will want to do.
The problem in this world is, that almost everything costs money. We give him our love, our energy and our time, but that just isn`t quite enough.
We are humbly asking anyone who visits this site and reads this story to at least send us some positive energy, we will be most gratefull for that and we belive that will help us get even closer to our goal.
But to anyone that has a dollar or two to give to us we will be equaly gratefull for that. Every penny helps as we would wish to give to Erazem everything that we can.
-We would like to get the physiotherapist to come over every day and excersise with him.
-We would like to buy the denas device for home use.
-We would like to give him homeophatic treatment
-We would like to continue with the therapies we are going to now.
We cannot offer you much in return. For anything you can give us, you will be forever in our hearts. Our life dream is to once live in a eco village, near a forest, where anyone will be able to visit us.
Now we live in Trbovlje, Slovenia. Its a small town in a valley and we are living in a house of Spelas family there. If anyone would like to come to visit us there, they are most welcome. We can show you around our beautifull country, and you will be able to get to know us and our little Sunshine Erazem Avelam."
Thank you all so much, greetings from Slovenia, Erazem Avelam and family.
Love
My name is Jerneja Alic (Spela Alic's sister) and I'm the aunt of this beautiful little boy. Because this website is not supported in Slovenia, I tried to be a good auntie and help them raise the money they need by sharing Erazem's loving fathers jurney.
(All the proceeds are going directly towards Erazem's therapy)
Blaz Munda: "My name is Blaz I come from Slovenia - EU, and I am the father of a special little human being named Erazem Avelam. The story begun in august 2012, when Spela and I met at a festival and we both knew it was love at first sight when our eyes crossed. We got to know each other by hanging out and going on trips and dates in the following months.
Our life drastically changed when a blessing happened to us. Spela got pregnant in december 2012, and thank God 21.12.2012 wasn`t the end of the world, so we could enjoy the pregnancy and plan our lifes together with our soon to be born child. We are both young (Spela, 26 - Me, 23), so that was our advantage as we didn`t worry to much about problems that could happen so we could bravely start to get prepared for the baby.
At first we moved in together in my house, but after two months we found a place that looked just like a house from our dreams and rented it. (Don`t ask me where we got the money for it as Spela was still working part time and I had a job that didn`t pay all that much)
So the months went on, and the due date was rapidly aproaching. During all the tests and exams that the doctors got us through everything was ok with the baby and Spela. We also found out that it was going to be a boy, and my heart was overwhemled with the thought that my first child is going to be a boy, with who i would be able to go hiking, rock climbing, cycling, camping....etc. (all the things i love to do)
Then came August. Out due date was August 9, and we were on our heels to meet our new life companion.
So after a wonderfull pregnancy, full of blessings and happienes came labor.
It started to happen at 4 o`clock in the morning so we got up and waited a few hours before going to the hospital. At about 8 a.m. we were in the hospital where the doctors first checked Spela. When they checked her they found out that she was opened only 0,4 inches wich was way to little, so we had to wait until she got opened more. We wanted to go home for the time so we wouldnt have to wait in the hospital but the doctors didn`t let us. That was the first impact of stress that got to us. It was a sunday and they didnt`t have a lot of labours that day, so they decided to give her some drugs to fast forward the natural proces, so we could deliver the baby on that day. The drugs aroused strong pain in her body as her birth canal was rapidly spreading. Although she was given drugs, the labor was going on very slowly, with a lot of pain for Spela. She sensed that something is not right and that she wouldn`t be able to bare the pain, so we asked for a c section.
The doctor said, that it is normal to have pain and it is normal that it lasts for so long, so she didn`t want to make the surgery. (I am not the one to judge her, but I just think she was unexperienced or lazy on that day)
So most of the time we were alone in the room and I did everything, trying to ease the pain and to keep her mind occupied. So cutting the story short, at 7 p.m. Erazem Avelam was born. What was supposed to be a happy moment after all those hours of work put in, was a shock for us instead.
Erazem A. was born with his umbilical cord tied around his neck three times, that would not be a problem but because of the drugs and the time his body was actually squeezing in the birth canal, it arroused his reflex to breathe while he was still inside.
His lungs got filled with water and his brain were deprived of oxygen for several minutes. (no doctor doesn`t know how long)
What was supposed to be a healthy crying pink baby, was just a pale body with no response at all. The worse thing for me and Spela was that he wasn`t even crying. The doctors immediately took him on a table and started to reanimate him. They emptyed his lungs of water, gave him oxygen and compressed his heart.
Erazem an hour after birth, alrealdy "pluged" in.
Slowly his body was getting the pink color it should have and they also told us that he is slowly starting to breath for himself.
As a precaution they took him from Trbovlje hospital (the place we live in), to Ljubljana pediatric hospital for further treatment. They wished to trasport him with a helicopter, but it was busy, so they took him with an ambulance. So at 10 p.m. they rushed him over there.
After 9 months, when we were first united, we as a family were also separated for the first time.The pain was so big that it can`t be said. Little did we know, the next month was going to be the hardest month in our lives.
Spela had to stay in the hospital and they send me home, so I could go to se my child in the morning. I could barely fell asleep and first thing in the morning I went into the hospital to see Spela, before going to Ljubljana to visit my son.
The first day, I went to see him in the ICU, he gave me a look!
Seeing him in the state that he was was very very hard. His little body was entwined with wires, he had two hoses leading through his nose, one was going to his lungs for oxygen and the other to his stomach for feeding. The doctors cooled his body down a few degrees so they could limit brain damage that occured from the oxygen deprivation.
He was heaviliy sedated with morphine and some other drugs for the WHOLE MONTH!! During that month his brains started to develop epileptic seizures, and because of that they had to sedate him even more. Alongside with phenobarbital and topamax (anty-epileptics) he was given morphine and midazolan (both very strong sedatives). So he was actually asleep all the time. We visited him every day twice. As he was in the ICU, we had limited visits, and his condition was going all from good on some days and
to bad on others.
Our bigest joy was, when we could hold him in our hands
Every night we prayed that the next day he will be better then the one before. But we just couldn`t get a break. He was doing fine for two or three days, but the next day it got even worse. We were going through theese cycles the whole month. We were trying to stay positive about it, but the doctors were geting more pesimistic by the day. We decided that we wouldn`t give up on him no mather what, so we came every day, talked to him, sung to him, hold his hands, try to laugh beside him and waited to be away from him when we did all the crying. We didn`t want him to sense that we were afraid.
But after one month our fears "came true". The doctors arranged a meeting with the pediatrician, lead neurologist and a psychologist with us. I will never forget the words that the doctor said to us on that day. He said: "Erazem`s condition is even worse than when he came to us. We are trying to stop the seizures, but we can`t stop them. We think it`s not human to keep him on artificial support, so we should think about getting him off the oxygen." He also said that even if he will start to breathe for himself, his brain is so damaged that he won`t be able to see, hear, eat, move.....he was trying to say that he will be a vegetable for the rest of his life and it would be probably better for him if he died. We fell on our asses (pardon my expresion) when we heard his words. We just couldn`t get ourselves to belive that Erazem will be like that. We cryed for the whole day as our world was starting to colapse around us.
We called our family to come to Ljubljana just to support us, so it would be a bit easyer for us. When the first shock was over, we got our strenght back we decided that we still won`t give up. We found a man who is a bioenergetic and decided to pay him to give Erazem a theraphy. Then we wen`t to the doctors and said to them that they have to put him off all sedatives, put him off the oxygen so Erazem can decide if he wants to live or not. That was the hardest decision in our lives, but it was worth it. Erazem started to breathe unaided, for the first time in his life after one month.
Breathing unaided, for the first time
Suddenly the seizures stoped, and he actually sucked his pacifier. Now the shock was on the doctors side. They couldn`t explain how this happened, but his condition was so good, that he could be transfered from the ICU to a "normal" room. So one week after the doctors told us that he could die, he was released from hospital to home care. It was such a happy day for all of us.
I am sure that mr. Emil (the bioenergetic) saved our boys life. Erazem was eating on his own from a bottle, breathing by his self, and was in the hands of his loving mother and father. The hardest month of all our lives was finally over. It was all a test of our faith and persistancy, and we aced it.
I can`t say that Erazem has fully recovered from the hard labour, but at least he was home. It`s a fact that the brain damage has occured and has left some consequences on him. We started to take him to different alternative methods of healing, wich slowly got him better and they still are. On the day I am writing this, he is an 8 month old boy, and he is slowly gaining ground that he lost in his first month. We got his loud smile from him a week or two ago. I was the proudest father in the world. (and still am)
His developtment is way to slow for a baby his age, but we are still convinced and decided that we will make him totally healthy.
The doctors still frieghten us with epilepsy and stuff like that, but we are trying not to let them get to us. The worst prognose we are fighting is cerebral palsy, wich often evolves in babyes that have suffered from severe hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy. ( http://www.med.nyu.edu/content?ChunkIID=230598)
Now our day to day routine is very tight schedule. We have to excersise with him at least three times a day. Twice a week we go to physiotherapy. As physiotherapy is part of the public health in Slovenia it is free for us.
But along that we are also taking him to several alternative methods that help him a lot. Maybe parents who have a similar problem can try then if they wish. I want to say that, THEY REALLY WORK. Their effects are visible, as I think Erazem Avelam would`t be where he is right now without them.
Let me just put a list of then bellow:
-Bioenergetic ; we went to him once every two weeks at start, now we only go from time to time, when we think we need him, it costs us 60€ for one theraphy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioenergetics
-Craniosacral theraphy ; this is some sort of energetic masage wich works wonders for Erazem. We go to this therapist twice a month from the start and i cant imagine what we would do without it. The price for one theraphy is 35€
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craniosacral_therapy
-Denas ; this is also a theraphy that works wonders for us. There is a russian pediatrician that works in Slovenia. She works with an electric appliance that works on the energy field of the child.
http://denasms.com/
We are also now thinking of going to a homepopath to get him some non-dangerous medicine for the epilepsy.
So to draw the line, Erazem Avelam in now a beautifull boy, but we still have some problems and we have to solve them day by day to overcome the doctors prognosis. We have a chance to make this boy`s life better and Spela and I will do everything it takes to make our little sunshine feel better.
Our only concern is that all of these therapies cost a lot of money, wich we don`t have enough. Our families help out as much as they can. Spela is unemployed, her job is now caring for Erazem as he needs constant supervision.
Our hard work is also now showing its results, as we got his first big smile as a gift about two weeks ago.
We are determined that this child will be able to speak, walk, run, play around with other children, pet our animals, do everything he will want to do.
The problem in this world is, that almost everything costs money. We give him our love, our energy and our time, but that just isn`t quite enough.
We are humbly asking anyone who visits this site and reads this story to at least send us some positive energy, we will be most gratefull for that and we belive that will help us get even closer to our goal.
But to anyone that has a dollar or two to give to us we will be equaly gratefull for that. Every penny helps as we would wish to give to Erazem everything that we can.
-We would like to get the physiotherapist to come over every day and excersise with him.
-We would like to buy the denas device for home use.
-We would like to give him homeophatic treatment
-We would like to continue with the therapies we are going to now.
We cannot offer you much in return. For anything you can give us, you will be forever in our hearts. Our life dream is to once live in a eco village, near a forest, where anyone will be able to visit us.
Now we live in Trbovlje, Slovenia. Its a small town in a valley and we are living in a house of Spelas family there. If anyone would like to come to visit us there, they are most welcome. We can show you around our beautifull country, and you will be able to get to know us and our little Sunshine Erazem Avelam."
Thank you all so much, greetings from Slovenia, Erazem Avelam and family.
Love
Organizer
Jerneja Alic
Organizer
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