Marko’s story is one of relentless determination, strength, and resilience. This boy, who unfortunately wasn’t blessed with enough health, spreads joy to everyone around him, even to healthy individuals. He is a great inspiration for our organization, and we are proud to stand by his side for several years. His story is worth sharing and supporting.
Recently, we were able to support his next treatment stay, and here’s a beautiful message we received from Marko’s mom at the end of it.
I did it!
,,After a year, I returned to Axis Medical in Piešťany. It wasn’t an easy year. I was really looking forward to getting back on track, but… I had no idea how right I was. What was amazing was my fantastic team of physiotherapists. Led by Michal, he didn’t give me any breaks. We chatted a bit during the warm-ups and hot packs in the morning, but then came the main event—two hours of exercises in a suit with added weight. I dare to quote: “Keep your back straight, stretch, lift your leg, we’re going up the stairs, let’s do sit-ups… and now with twists, hold on, you can do it, and squats, go… As a reward, we’ll have 10 minutes of football (me: awesome!) and for every goal you score against Igor, or if he doesn’t catch the ball, you’ll do a squat (me: Michal, seriously?)…” I should mention that not only the trainers were watching me, but also the doctor. At least once a day, he checked on me to see how I was doing.
,,And you know what? I worked hard and enjoyed it. I didn’t complain. I was doing it for myself. It was tough, but I felt and still feel BETTER. After two hours of sweating like a mouse (yes, I mean completely, even my socks!), a massage and relaxation followed… If you think that was it, hohoho. Far from it. My brother loves Spider-Man, but I was him! The Spider Cage. A cage you can’t escape from. They hung me there, and I practiced balance, turning, grips, and lifts. After that, it felt amazing to breathe oxygen and have a magnet on my left side. I also focused on biofeedback, as doing tasks with my left hand is extremely challenging for me. The rest of the therapies were alternated with speech therapy, pragma therapy, music therapy, or manual therapy. Based on how I sometimes cracked during manual therapy, I assume I still have plenty of bones left.
What can I add in conclusion, dear friends and PIEROTT members? The program was truly rich, and I had plenty to do. But each day got better. And most importantly, I got better. Thanks to you, I regained many movement patterns, corrected many things I was doing wrong, and learned something new (but I need to work hard on that). I hope I didn’t disappoint. I really tried my best, which was recognized. Thank you for your help and support… because… I DON’T WANT TO GIVE UP!
