Incredible guy. A young man with whom it's wonderful to talk, and there's almost always laughter involved. Even though Roman's life has turned upside down. That's why he's in Adeli.
From the age of sixteen, he worked part-time during his summer vacations – he didn't have to, but he wanted to. From childhood, he was responsible, caring, and perceptive. He moved from high school to university, choosing international relations because he simply enjoyed foreign languages. He has English down pat, can get around the world with German, and wanted to improve his Spanish. That's also why he planned a summer job in Spain with friends for the summer of 2023. He served guests at a holiday resort. However, he didn't last there for two months...
It's the end of July, and Anna had her name day. He managed to send his grandma a congratulatory message that evening. „He had the day off work. As part of the group, they borrowed a car and went wherever they could. He sent me everything right away. It's hard for me to look at those photos today. My Roman is healthy for the last time in them. On his feet,“ says his mother, Lubka.
Before going to his room, Roman jumped into the pool, and in that instant, his life changed. A fight for his life began. „We didn't consider such a fatality. The first reports spoke of a damaged spinal cord and that he would be in a wheelchair. While that's true, what would we give today to have our Roman „just“ in a wheelchair,“ says his mother, Ľubica, who, since that fateful day, seems to have stopped perceiving time. With the jump, her son seriously injured his spine; the spinal cord is damaged from the fourth vertebra. Roman remained trapped in his own body; today, he can only move his head and shoulders... He is 26 years old...
He cannot drink, turn over, scratch his face, or make even the slightest movement without help from others. However, he is at home with his parents, and his older siblings and friends visit him, as they haven't forgotten their good friend. They don't just sit at home with him; they take him for walks, to the mall, to concerts, and to all sorts of events organized in the area.
Roman's diagnosis is fatal, yet neither he nor his family are giving up. Initially, they didn't give him much chance of even breathing on his own. And today? Roman is without a tracheostomy; he can breathe everything on his own without assistance. „It was a big change for the better,“ he says. When asked a simple „How are you?“, he answers unequivocally: „Good.“ He doesn't want to dwell on memories of that day, he dislikes discussions about disabilities, it doesn't help anything. He doesn't need pity; he tries to fill his day with whatever he can. He operates his computer, tablet, and mobile phone with his eyes – technology has advanced significantly in this regard, and even people with severe physical disabilities don't have to be cut off from the world. Currently, 26-year-old Roman is finishing university, wrapping up his thesis, which he wrote himself. "Well yes, I wrote it with my eyes," Roman smiles, adding that his sister only helps him fine-tune the prescribed external format of the work – paragraphs, font type for citations, etc. What will happen after graduation – he doesn't know. He is skeptical in that regard for now. But he has really action-oriented people around him who push him physically and mentally.
Despite his serious condition, Roman needs rehabilitation. At Adeli, he has the opportunity to undergo intensive, daily therapies that cannot be provided at home. Even though progress is slow, it is of great importance. „After the rehabilitation sessions, Roman is more relaxed, sits better in his wheelchair, and daily care and handling him is a bit easier,“ explains his mother, Ľubka.
„I would be happy if someone decides to contribute to my rehabilitation. Even though I can't guarantee that I'll be able to drink from a glass myself, let alone stand up from my wheelchair. No, that's not going to happen for me. But believe me, it will help me a lot. I leave Adeli better than I arrived. And still with the hope that my condition won't worsen and that I'll be able to achieve even small improvements. That my life will be of the highest possible quality,“ says Roman.
