He's eighteen, loves life, and knows nothing is easy. Kristián. A likable guy with a specific sense of humor. A guy who desperately wants to live and believes that he will...
Do For 6 years, Kiko was a healthy and problem-free child. It was actually idyllic. Kiko, his older brother, mom, dad. Classic. „Everything was fine,“ he says. But then things took a turn for the worse. He wasn't even seven when he got a severe case of tonsillitis, and the antibiotics were slow to work. „And something happened that no one expected. It somehow settled in my heart; simply put, after this nasty tonsillitis, I became a cardiac patient. I didn't perceive it dramatically; I was just being monitored.“
When he was 7 and a half, a big blow came. His beloved dad died. The family hadn't even managed to get used to the difficult diagnosis, and it was over. An inoperable brain tumor. „Dad fought for seven weeks, he wasn't granted more... It hit me hard.“ Life in a trio was sadder, Kiko started to focus more on hobbies his father taught him. Fishing and photography. When he was 3 years old, his dad bought him a small Canon camera – „I still have it today, it's a strong memory of my father.“
After another seven years, the fight for Kristián's life began in an instant. He remembers it clearly. They had gym class at school; Kiko, due to his weakened heart, couldn't play dodgeball but at least he could pass the ball. Suddenly, he felt unwell, managed to get to the locker room sink, and remembers nothing more. A sudden stroke. Kiko was 14, and his world collapsed. He woke up with his entire left side immobile. It was in cardiology because his heart function also deteriorated dramatically. They implanted a Reveal – a loop recorder, within a year he received a pacemaker, and a year later a HeartMate 3 – external mechanical heart support for patients with advanced heart failure. Explained simply: „In this black backpack, I have a machine that I cannot move without. It's basically my heart. Only at night am I without the backpack, because I have the „miracle box“ plugged into electricity. Something like that...“
I had no choice. There were only two options – to voluntarily go to heaven or to live with a backpack. At the same time, he was put on the heart transplant waiting list. And last year, a word was added to his name – acute condition…
To the question „how are you,“ he answers prosaically: „Like an acute heart transplant candidate... I wake up with it every day, and I get up with it.“
Kiko came to Adeli to strengthen his entire body, but especially his left arm and leg, which are still quite paralyzed after his stroke. „It's hard work, but it's great here. I work out at the gym with my heart-shaped backpack – Richard doesn't go easy on me, and that's good,“ Kiko smiles. A young man who enjoys life. Who has an incredibly difficult time, yet is a lot of fun to be around. An amazing fighter, humbly waiting on a life-saving call. That they have a heart for him. He's already experienced one false alarm – in October 2025, he went to the hospital but left the next day. The heart wasn't suitable for transplant. „I was disappointed, so now I'm more careful. I try to think positively, but I admit I'm afraid of the future. It's no joke, believe me.“
Mama Anka had to stay with Kiko in the nursing home. The family's income is small, and Kristián needs rehabilitation to be in the best possible condition before the transplant. Together with our hero Kristián, we believe enough donors will be found to help him with another rehabilitation stay at Adeli. „I don't need a wheelchair anymore, that's a big win, and I know it will get even better. It has to, keep your fingers crossed for me!“
