Give Arjan a Second Chance at Life

On April 10th, life, as he knew it, ended for our dad, Arjan Metaj. On that fateful morning, he went to work, loaded his truck, and was about to do the final touches to secure the load when he stepped on an ill-balanced part of his load, lost his balance and fell. Three seconds of grappling at nothing and then a head-first collision with the ground. A loud sound and his body going limp told the telltale signs of a severe fracture and dislocation in the cervical area of his neck and full paralysis. Later, when asked what was his first thought upon hitting the ground, Arjan replied, “I wish I’d died!”

We- his wife, daughter, son and grandchildren- are thankful that this did not happen as we love and need him so much and we know that at only 62 years old he still has a lot to look forward to. Despite this tragedy, our father also knows this and since the surgery on April 12th, he has been bravely holding on to life while fighting fever and anxiety, struggling to breathe and relying on others for a sip of water and other personal needs. Our father, who led an active life and enjoyed being around friends and family, is currently tied to a hospital bed learning to accept his new reality.

If our father hopes to ever use his hands and legs again, he needs intensive physical therapy. He needs to be hospitalized in a specialized center and be exposed to different types of treatments multiple times a day. Unfortunately, such centers do not exist in Albania and we are trying our best to take him to Turkey where a hospital has agreed to take charge of his rehabilitation. We are thrilled that we have been given a shred of hope and we are doing our best to arrange transportation and put together the sum requested by the hospital. However, the staggering fees and the long-term needs of our dad make it hard for our family to afford everything. This is why we are asking for your help to give our dad a second chance at life. We are asking for your help so that he may have the opportunity to hug his grandchildren, Gabriel, Emma, and Jeremy, again.

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Me 10 prill, jeta e babit tone, Arjan Metaj ndryshoi pergjithmone. Nje aksident ne pune i shkaktoi nje frakture dhe spostim te rruazave te shtylles kurrizore ne pjesen e qafes, gje qe e la te komplet paralizuar. Qe prej operacionit me date 12 prill, babi vazhdon te luftoje per jeten e tij edhe pse temperatura, tencioni, ankthi dhe varesia tek te tjeret per nje pike uji e cdo nevoje personale jan pjese e realitetit te tij te ri. Babi vazhdon te luftoje sepse ai e din qe edhe pse tani cdo gje duket sikur ka marre fund, ai ka shume gjera te bukura qe e presin ne jete- si per shembull te perqafoje niperat dhe mbesen perseri. Fatkeqsisht, nevojat mjeksore te babit nuk mund te plotesohen ne Shqiperi prandaj ne po perpiqemi te bejme te pamunduren ta cojme ne Turqi ku ai mund te shtrohet ne nje qender rehabilitimi. Nje spital turk na ka dhene nje fije shprese qe babi mund te rifitioje perdorimin e duarve, ne mos edhe te kembeve, por midis kostos se spitalit dhe transportit nga Shqiperia shuma eshte marramendese. Prandaj ne po ju kerkojme ndihme juve qe ti jepni babit nje mundesi te dyte ne jete. Me bujarine tuaj ne shpresojme ta fillojme procesin e rehabilitimit nje minute e me pare.

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Le 10 avril, la vie de notre père, Arjan Metaj, a changé pour toujours. Un accident de travail a provoqué une fracture et un déplacement des vertèbres de la colonne vertébrale dans le cou, ce qui l'a laissé paralysé des épaules aux pieds. Depuis l'opération du 12 avril, papa continue de se battre pour sa vie même si la fièvre, la tension, l'anxiété et la dépendance aux autres pour une goutte d'eau et chaque besoin personnel font partie de sa nouvelle réalité. Papa continue de se battre parce qu'il sait que même si maintenant tout semble terminé, il a beaucoup de belles choses qui l'attendent dans la vie - par exemple, serrer à nouveau ses petits-enfants et sa petite-fille dans ses bras. Malheureusement, les besoins médicaux de papa ne peuvent être satisfaits en Albanie, nous essayons donc de faire de notre mieux pour le faire venir en Turquie où il pourra être admis dans un centre de rééducation. Un hôpital turc nous a donné une lueur d'espoir que papa puisse retrouver l'usage de ses mains, sinon de ses jambes, mais entre le coût de l'hôpital et le transport depuis l'Albanie, la somme est faramineuse. C'est pourquoi nous sollicitons votre aide pour donner à papa une seconde chance dans la vie. Grâce à votre générosité, nous espérons démarrer le processus de réhabilitation dès que possible.