It was supposed to be a quick procedure. Slávo was 47, had a torn shoulder muscle, and needed surgery. Nothing pleasant, but also nothing life-threatening in terms of the procedure's difficulty. But today, everything is different.
Slávo's life and his whole family's life turned upside down. He didn't have a wife and children, but he would give his all for others even more because of that. A real guy with a sense of humor, The world's best uncle, a good man willing to help whether it's night or day.
However, for over a year, he has been dependent on round-the-clock care and assistance. His sister quit her job, became a caregiver, and moved into Slávo's house with her husband, and „we are living a new - changed life. No, I regret nothing, I know Slávo would do the same.“
If a machinist worked 30 years at one company, he was reliable. He liked to cycle and never took sick leave.
He didn't worry about the surgery; after all, he was supposed to go home the same day. He didn't even bring pajamas to the hospital. Why would he...
But Slávo didn't wake up after the procedure. In the afternoon, they called from the hospital that the condition was serious. The patient is unresponsive, apparently suffering a stroke during the procedure. Slávo was transferred from the hospital in Levoča to a hospital in Košice, where they learned it wasn't a stroke. Rather, it was a surgical error. „Either he was in the wrong position, his head fell, they didn't notice, and his brain didn't get enough blood, or his blood pressure dropped rapidly, which they also didn't notice. We don't know. In any case, in Košice, they told us a sentence that haunts us constantly: “They blew his brain out,'" says Slávo's sister Nadežda, who is with her brother non-stop. However, the Public Health Supervision Office did not confirm any malpractice during the surgery. „We didn't expect any other answer. Moreover, when your life changes overnight, you don't have the time or the desire to fight for the truth, as we were dedicating all our energy and strength to Sláv. No, we haven't come to terms with him just lying helplessly in bed and occasionally looking at the ceiling. We did and are doing everything possible and impossible. And that's why we are also at Adeli.“
Progress has been made. For some, it's minimal, but for Slávo's family, it's full of hope. After more than three months, they brought him home apathetic, motionless, with his head turned in only one direction. They knew and know that only rehabilitation will help. „There is no miracle pill for a cure. Only honest hard work, which is bringing Slávo back to life for us literally millimeter by millimeter.“
It's a huge success that today, more than a year after the unfortunate surgery, Slávo spends most of the day in his wheelchair. He's with his sister in the kitchen while she cooks, he likes watching TV, and in the afternoon he's with his family in the yard. He turns his head to everyone who comes to them. He doesn't speak, but he can at least make sounds now. He moves his tongue more, and although he is fed through a PEG tube, he can already eat pureed food by mouth. And he enjoys it! After rapid weight loss, he is gaining weight. He understands most of what is spoken, and he is particularly sensitive during family celebrations and gatherings; that's when Slávo cries...
She is doing exercises at home with a physiotherapist, and they also have high hopes for the hyperbaric chamber, which they have started using. They are also adding acupuncture now. And they believe that with each further stay at Adeli, Slávo will make even greater progress. We're keeping our fingers crossed and asking for contributions for therapies for a man who has spent his whole life helping others. Today, he needs help.
