The Tragic Event
On January 30th, 2013 my 7 year old nephew, Orest, was hit by the side view mirror of a speeding car next to his home. Orest flew several meters in the air and hit the curb with the back of his head. He sustained blows to his head from both sides with great impact and has been diagnosed with TBI (traumatic brain Injury) and more specifically his condition is referred to as DAI (diffuse axonal injury). After the Accident
Since the accident, Orest has been unconscious in a coma and very spastic. Doctors have told us that Orest has a very small chance of ever regaining consciousness and will stay in vegetative state. We were told to keep him medicated to avoid spasticity, sedate him to keep him comfortable, and turn him every 2 hours. The doctors say there are no treatments available and that Orest is not qualified for rehab since he is not responding or following any commands. However, we are never going to give up on Orest and will do everything possible to keep him healthy and get him to respond. We initially hoped that Orest would be able to recover quickly and wanted to keep this a private family matter. However, now that we have come to understand that this will be a long and hard road ahead we hope that there are kind people out there that can help support Orest. The Current Situation
We started HBOT (hyperbaric oxygen therapy) treatments as soon as he was discharged from Kaiser and are also seeing an acupuncturist to help Orest with spasticity. The HBOT treatment facility is far from the parents' home so Irina (Orest's Mom) and Nick (Orest's Dad) have moved to a special temporary living facility near the treatment center provided by Steven's Hope for Children. We are doing physical therapy, talking, reading, and singing to Orest 14-17 hours a day to keep his body from becoming deformed and to make sure he knows we are with him every minute. For additional info on HBOT Treatment visit www.hbot4u.com. The Road Ahead
"We are looking into options outside of the USA and waiting for some of our friends/contacts to get back to us. Time is of the utmost importance and we are going to do everything we can to help our boy. Our 3 year old daughter Nikita is asking every day when her big brother will be home and why the big fire truck took him away. We truly appreciate the support, prayers and thought from our family and friends who have offered help and visited us."
-Irina (Orest's mom)
Notes from Loved Ones
"Orest is an amazing boy who is one of the kindest and friendliest boys you can ever have the pleasure of knowing. I was lucky enough to live with him and his parents during the first few years of his life. I have only the greatest memories of spending time with him and watching him grow. Even after I moved out I saw and spend time with him often. I have always had great love and respect for his parents because of how well they raised him and how much time they spend with him and his sister. I have not been able to stop thinking about Orest since the accident and would give anything to just hear his voice again. Orest’s parents have dropped everything in their lives to take care of him and make sure he gets every possible treatment he can to help him. They are by his bedside every possible moment. They are willing and ready to exhaust every penny they have to help Orest but I am hoping that with your generosity it won't come to that. This fundraiser is to help with the medical, travel, and other costs that have been and will be incurred as Orest continues to undergo treatments."
-Alex (Loving Uncle and Campaign Organizer)
