Good afternoon!
All my relatives, many friends and colleagues are still in Belarus, so I cannot give my real name. But I need some help. Here is my story:
Until 2020, I made videos for the YouTube channel of an independent Belarusan media outlet. When the protests started, I actively participated in them and continued to work with various media outlets to help them tell the truth about the violence on the streets of our cities. Therefore, in 2021, when it became dangerous to stay in Belarus, I was able to move to Poland within the framework of the program of relocation of Belarusian journalists. Here I quit my job and started looking for a new place in my life. But a year later I had a misfortune.
Because of a neglected infection I got sepsis, which affected my nervous system. I ended up in intensive care, underwent several surgeries and spent four months in hospital. Then I was discharged, but I was almost completely immobile.
(BYSOL has all the necessary medical records)
I spent the next five months in a hospice and there I made the first progress: I was able to move independently in a wheelchair. But after that I went to a shelter for homeless people with disabilities. Here it is difficult with rehabilitation and it takes a lot of effort to progress further, but I am trying.
In the last few months my body has gotten stronger and I have a chance to get a job. However, the rules of the shelter do not allow for employment, so I have to choose between living like a vegetable or continuing to struggle and trying to start a new life. I chose the latter.
I managed to get put on a waiting list for knee replacement surgery. It's a complicated procedure after which I'll need three months of rehabilitation. But if everything works out, I'll be able to walk and get back to living life to the fullest! And time is of the essence. The sooner after the surgery I start rehabilitating, the better chance I have of getting back on my feet, literally and figuratively.
Unfortunately, I can't count on free medicine, because everything works very slowly there. And time is important to me. I need physical therapy immediately after surgery, otherwise I will remain confined to a chair.
So I am asking for help to be able to start recovery right after surgery.
Thank you!
How much is needed?
€3100
three months of physiotherapy — €2100 (5 sessions per week for 150zł),
accommodation for the period of rehabilitation — €1000 (a room adapted for a disabled person 1500zł per month).