The story of Daniel - a child struggling for his first step

Our Daniel was born prematurely - at just 29 weeks gestation, almost three months earlier than expected. He weighed only 1100 grams. He spent three whole months in a cubicle, fighting for his life.

From the very beginning, we faced multiple health problems - with her lungs and eyes. Later came the worst blow - a grade IV brain haemorrhage. It did serious damage that would change his life forever.

After discharge from the hospital, we were told it was very likely Daniel would never be able to use his arms or walk. But we didn't give up.

Since leaving the hospital, Danny has begun intensive rehabilitation - massages, exercise, swimming (since he was just 4 months old!). In the beginning he did almost nothing. But over time, slowly and steadily, we began to make progress.

At the age of 1, Daniel was able to turn over from his back on his stomach for the first time. Even though his arms weren't moving well, he wouldn't stop trying. His right arm even stopped moving completely - but with constant rehabilitation we managed to "wake it up", and today it functions about 50%.

At the age of 2 Danny started to crawl - slowly and with difficulty, getting tired very quickly. By the time he was 2 years and 8 months old, he could sit up steadily for about an hour, although he was placed in a sitting position as he could not sit up on his own.

Thanks to tireless rehabilitation, Danny now knows how to walk. But severe spasticity prevents him from standing up or staying on his feet. His body is constantly tense - he only finds relief after workouts and massages. This brings him pain, especially in the morning when he has been immobile and stiff all night.

Danny has great potential to walk and play alongside other children. The chance of this happening is real - but an important and expensive stage in his treatment is needed.

Our hope is called SDR surgery (selective dorsal rhizotomy), a highly specialized neurosurgical procedure performed in the United States. It removes spasticity in the legs and enables Danny to do what seems impossible today - walk on his own.

Medical prognoses give a 90% chance of success. But the road to get there is financially prohibitive for our family.

Daniel is a radiant, smiling child. He enjoys people, life, everything around him. He deserves to live life to the fullest - to walk, to play with his peers, to explore the world on equal terms with other children.

Let's give him a chance together.