Zoe - little Hercules!
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2 min read
Hello!
My name is Zoe. I am a one year old girl living in the UK with my parents. You are probably wondering why this fundraiser is called " Zoe - little Hercules". I promise you - we will get there . Let me tell you my story .
MY STORY
My Mum's pregnancy with me was quite complicated. She lost waters when was 16 weeks pregnant (condition called PPROM). She had no idea that it was actually possible. She even laughed to herself disbelieving, when was told what happened.
Doctors didn't give my parents much hope. They said I would be disabled, deformed, unable to breathe, unable to live. They were suggesting to let me be born sleeping...
Luckily mummy and daddy didn't listen. After 12 extremely hard weeks I came to this world 12 weeks prematurely.
I weighed 2,65lbs, that's 1,2 kg.
First 24 hours were critical.
There are many medical terms to describe my condition the day I was born, but simply saying my both lungs were collapsed, there was a bleeding in my brain, a hole in my heart and both hips dislocated.
I spent almost three months in the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit). Mummy and daddy were visiting me every day to give me plenty of hugs.
I recovered fully from every condition ... almost!
Surprisingly the hips dysplasia turned out to be the hardest to overcome.
I was in the Pavlik harness, but it didn't work.
I had a procedure called closed reduction done (under anaesthesia), but ... it didn't work either.
Me in the spica cast.
Another step is surgery, which very risky and scary. Quite often patients end up living in pain all their lives waiting for a hip replacement surgery (or hips in my case).
Mum asked the surgeon if there is any non-surgical, safer way to treat dysplasia. He mentioned the Modified Hoffman-Daimler method and a doctor in Greece, who is the only expert of the method. He probably didn't expect my Mum to go and search for this doctor. That's exactly what she did.
After few weeks of corresponding, we arrived in Greece to meet the hips specialist. During my first examination he looked at my mum and said astonished: " She doesn't have the cerebral palsy, look at her, look at those strong legs ! She is little blond Hercules!"
It turned out that doctor after reading my medical records was expecting to meet a completely different child.
THE COST OF TREATMENT
The only way to use the Modified Hoffman-Daimler method is to do it privately. It is also time consuming. It may last months, if not years.
My parents are somehow prepared to cover flights, covid tests, accommodation in Greece , but need your support with the cost of the treatment , which may rise to £20,000, if not higher (doctor fee, hospital stays, MRI scans under anaesthesia, x-rays, special harness and splint, more covid tests).
There is a long way ahead of me to fight the very last and the most stubborn condition I was born with , but I am sure that with your help I can overcome it too.
Thank you for reading my story and please share it.
Zoe - little Hercules
#zoelittlehercules
Hello!
My name is Zoe. I am a one year old girl living in the UK with my parents. You are probably wondering why this fundraiser is called " Zoe - little Hercules". I promise you - we will get there . Let me tell you my story .
MY STORY
My Mum's pregnancy with me was quite complicated. She lost waters when was 16 weeks pregnant (condition called PPROM). She had no idea that it was actually possible. She even laughed to herself disbelieving, when was told what happened.
Doctors didn't give my parents much hope. They said I would be disabled, deformed, unable to breathe, unable to live. They were suggesting to let me be born sleeping...
Luckily mummy and daddy didn't listen. After 12 extremely hard weeks I came to this world 12 weeks prematurely.
I weighed 2,65lbs, that's 1,2 kg.
First 24 hours were critical.
There are many medical terms to describe my condition the day I was born, but simply saying my both lungs were collapsed, there was a bleeding in my brain, a hole in my heart and both hips dislocated.
I spent almost three months in the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit). Mummy and daddy were visiting me every day to give me plenty of hugs.
I recovered fully from every condition ... almost!
Surprisingly the hips dysplasia turned out to be the hardest to overcome.
I was in the Pavlik harness, but it didn't work.
I had a procedure called closed reduction done (under anaesthesia), but ... it didn't work either.
Me in the spica cast.
Another step is surgery, which very risky and scary. Quite often patients end up living in pain all their lives waiting for a hip replacement surgery (or hips in my case).
Mum asked the surgeon if there is any non-surgical, safer way to treat dysplasia. He mentioned the Modified Hoffman-Daimler method and a doctor in Greece, who is the only expert of the method. He probably didn't expect my Mum to go and search for this doctor. That's exactly what she did.
After few weeks of corresponding, we arrived in Greece to meet the hips specialist. During my first examination he looked at my mum and said astonished: " She doesn't have the cerebral palsy, look at her, look at those strong legs ! She is little blond Hercules!"
It turned out that doctor after reading my medical records was expecting to meet a completely different child.
THE COST OF TREATMENT
The only way to use the Modified Hoffman-Daimler method is to do it privately. It is also time consuming. It may last months, if not years.
My parents are somehow prepared to cover flights, covid tests, accommodation in Greece , but need your support with the cost of the treatment , which may rise to £20,000, if not higher (doctor fee, hospital stays, MRI scans under anaesthesia, x-rays, special harness and splint, more covid tests).
There is a long way ahead of me to fight the very last and the most stubborn condition I was born with , but I am sure that with your help I can overcome it too.
Thank you for reading my story and please share it.
Zoe - little Hercules
#zoelittlehercules
Organizer
Kamila Przekop
Organizer