From the cruel diagnosis he had received, at the first sure steps. Stefan’s story is one of courage, perseverance and hope.
Ștefan is a cheerful teenager of 17 years old, who really likes trips and cars. At the age of 6, he was diagnosed with autism in Romania. With the support of relatives, the parents went abroad with their child to carry out several complex evaluations. However, the news they received was disturbing: their little one has been diagnosed with a serious condition/disease of the nervous system.
At first, the family decided to pursue recovery therapies in Spain, but the family’s situation became difficult and they returned to the country, where Stefan continued a series of therapies. The recovery was interrupted with the beginning of the pandemic, in 2020, which had a negative impact on its development.
After the pandemic, the family heard about United Way`s support center that offers psychological and medical recovery and asked for help. The long period in which he did not do physical therapy had a negative impact on his recovery, and Ștefan had severe problems with the locomotor system, as he only walked supported by his mother and often had loss of balance. The center’s specialists set up an extensive weekly program of physical therapy and speech therapy to help the teenager recover.
With patience and determination, the young man can now walk on his own, has improved his coordination of movements and muscle strength. In addition, now can clearly pronounce part of words and express his thoughts with more confidence. This helps him a lot at school, among colleagues or friends, but also at home, to tell his mother if something hurts or if he needs help.
”I never lost hope. Now that I see the progress Stefan has made, my soul is full of joy and gratitude for this chance I have been given.” – Ștefan’s mother told us.
