Children Care Charity Organization Desa

"My name is Ilic Petrija and I am a single mother of a child called Nikola who is seriously ill. I am writing you in hope that you will find a way to help me, at least by reading this letter.

Believe me that every day for me is full of fear, anxiety, pain and sadness, but I won't give up and I will endure all the sufferings and troubles in my life. Love for my son is all I have, as well as a little strength for trying to help him in this way, but I cannot do that alone. I have spent day and night with my son since he got ill three years ago. I have no job, no any kind of help for Nikola, we are completely forgotten by everyone. My husband left me. He never comes to see his son or helps him financially. Our relatives abandon us as well because Nikola is ill for so long. I fight on my own for my son, but my health is getting worse every day. It has been a year since I came to hospital with my son, and we have been here all the time.

Nikola and I have been at mother and child institute in New Belgrade for three times. On the third time we were transferred from the institute to 'Dr Dragisa Misovic' hospital on 6th August 2002. This is the hospital for the children suffering from lung disease and tuberculosis. I am at the hospital at the moment.

We actually live in hospital since we have nowhere to go. I hope that someone from your organization will visit us at hospital, especially the boy who was clinically dead, as the doctors said, for five times, his dismissing lists and diagnoses. I hope that there are still humane people in this world.

Nikola Ilic was born on 14th December 1993 as a normal and healthy child. He grew up normally. He was breast-fed for two years. He got all the necessary vaccinations on time. He started talking, walking on time. Maybe he did not eat that much but he was a smart, intelligent, wise and lively child. His milk teeth started getting problematic so he often had mouth infections and his gums were bleeding. He did not want to eat, he kept it in his mouth and he often vomited. He had never got any injections; he just drank some antibiotic syrup when needed, when got cold or when he had a temperature. He got seriously ill in December of 1998. He had a high temperature; he was losing his strength and the bruises could be seen. The diagnosis was meningitis-hemophilia. He was treated by intra-vein therapy for fifteen days. After that he was fully recovered. At the end of October 1999 he developed the same symptoms. He was treated for 'meningoancefalitis'.

... Then came the epileptic seizures. Because of that he fell into a coma and ended up at intensive care for almost a month. I had to buy the very expensive medicines and injections. The doctors said that he would die, but, with my help, Nikola recovered. He started walking, talking, eating but his sight was completely damaged (atrophy O.P.optical). It was so difficult recovering him when he cannot see. Soon after that we went through all this again. This time it did not last that long. I took him to 'The holy sight' and to the Fiodors to take a medicine from Germany (it cost 100 euros). For the fourth time the symptoms appeared in October 2001. He was in coma, at intensive care for six months. During that time he was clinically dead for several times. He was in bed all the time; he could not move, talk without my help; he still could not see, his vital functions are slowed down; he can just eat a little. It is a miracle that he is still alive. I need a lot of diapers, creams, and shampoo for him. I bath him, change him all the time.

I have dedicated myself completely to him, since I have no one else. This time the doctors diagnosed the lack of immuno-globuline and he has to take 10g of IMG in his vein every month. The price of the IMG is 500 euros. That is his main therapy now. His condition is still very serious, sometimes he has a temperature of 40 degrees, but we won't give up. I could use any help, anything from what I have mentioned above, because I am in a very difficult situation. I expect you to have the understanding and humanity for the mother who is going through the hell at the moment.

The same day (13th October 2002) we received another letter from Mrs Kristina Radovic-Maric, who was in the same hospital room as Nikola and his mother Petrija:

"Mrs Petrija is an incredible woman, a mother above the mothers. She is 40 years old but she looks like an old woman, she is always tired, her eyes are full of tears.

There were several women at Dedinje hospital that made her write a letter. I took the responsibility to myself to copy that letter into 20-30 copies and send it to different addresses, hoping that someone will help. The real help would be to find the donor who would give 50000 euros so that Nikola could go to London for treatment. At the same time any help would be helpful to Nikola and his mother. When I say help I mean: diapers, food… anything! Those two creatures are completely alone in this world, they have spent three years at hospitals, and they are abandoned and forgotten by everyone, even from the medical workers.

Since August they are at the children's hospital 'Dragisa Misovic', on the third floor, where Nikola was received for pneumonia. The boy does not respond to any antipyretics (except Novalgetol) although he has a temperature all the time. He rejects food and everything looks like a hell. But Petrija is here and she hopes! The room is full of different books on medicine, she is 24 hours awake, and she does not leave hospital not even for a second!!!

The trouble is that Nikola's disease cannot be defind. According to the doctors he was clinically dead for five times and he had meningitis for three times. I believe that it sounds impossible to you as well as it sounds to me! After that Nikola was pronounced as 'the patient without immunity', so we are all asking ourselves how it is possible that he managed to live for nine years and to survive all that is mentioned above without having the immune system!!! It has been three years since the doctors found out that Nikola had no immunity and that he had all those symptoms because of that.

It has been three years that he had been treated, from the disease he did not have, with the medicines for epileptic seizures that damaged the brain, slowed down the work of the cells, so that the child could not see nor walk nor talk. Now they say: 'His brain does not function'. We are asking ourselves again how is that possible that he is brain-dead but he cries when they inject him, how it is possible that he reacts when they slam the door, or how he starts crying when he feels his mother's hand on his face? Why, how is that possible… no one knows!

Petrija believes that there are hopes for Nikola, but they need the right doctor who would check-up Nikola, not just shrug shoulders and give him an injection.

If you can, and I am sure that you can, visit Petrija, and make sure of every word of mine as well as hers. Help her find the right doctor, or to go abroad where many children got better and now they are with their mothers playing somewhere in the park. PLEASE!!!

I will personally take her to the hospital some food, diapers and fruit on Thursday. I know that is all I can do, and nothing else but that and writing to you. That is why I ask you to make the next step. I thank you very much!

We have received the documents that confirmed everything that had been written in those two letters. Petrija's son Nikola, now a nine-year-old boy, was a healthy child until he was six (you can see that in the pictures below, click if you want to see them), he lived a normal life and than he got ill.

Nikola with his mother Petrija

on his third birthday party

Nikola with his grandmother while

he was healthy child

During the last three years his condition got worse from time to time. Nikola and his mother were abandoned and forgotten by everyone. Nikola's father left him when Nikola got ill, leaving him without any financial support. Nikola's mother lives with him at hospital almost for a year now, and only by her great love and strength she manages to keep Nikola alive.

As soon as we received the letter we visited them for several times. We visited them on 24th November 2002. It was St Stephan Decanski's day. We will visit them in the future, of course.

For the beginning, we brought them diapers, food, the medicine-Ginko Biloba, Pavlovic's cream, some other personal things, books and a wheelchair that will help Nikola to change his position during a meal because he cannot sit on his own.

We are using this opportunity to ask everyone who can help, in any way, to call us. Thank You.

-	Dismissing list from the children's hospital in Uzice, 31st December 1998 page 1
-	Dismissing list from the children's hospital in Uzice, 31st December 1998 page 2
-	Dismissing list from mother and child medical institute in Belgrade, 10th April 2000 page 1
-	Dismissing list from mother and child medical institute in Belgrade, 10th April 2000 page 2
-	The confirmation of the beginning of treatment at the institute for a mother and a child medical care in Belgrade