I have moved my toe! I knew it, I have always known in my heart that the answer is in Dubrovnik. I would crawl to here if dr. Glavić hasn’t given me this gift. Crawl! Because, intuitively, I knew that I could do it, and I did it, thank God. From my heel I have drown an impulse and it is continuing its journey! I cannot even describe the happiness I am feeling right now.
Kornelija Livaja, journalist and news editor on Radio Dalmacija, wrote this on her Facebook profile on March 8th. The story about her fight to live and to be able to go back to work, after she had suffered a stroke in October 2016, has been followed by a lot of people, by both people she knows and does not know, but nevertheless all of them are ready to help her in any way they can – with words of support, with getting involved in the humanitarian action ‘Korni, you are not alone’, which has been started by her colleagues the journalists in order to raise money for her recovery.
In her native Slavonia and Dalmatia where she currently lives and works, as well as elsewhere in Croatia and around the world, Kornelija’s life struggle has been followed and supported by good people. Every raised kuna means a lot to her because, as it happens in Croatia, the health system does not cover all the costs of treatments, and her family has already spent everything they’ve had.
She managed to get up from the wheelchair, and now she is fighting the battle for her left arm. Spasm, or muscle hypercurrents, can be treated with injections, but each costs 5.000,00 kuna. Kornelija has to buy them because for her, having the age of 46, HZZO (Croatian health system) does not cover the costs.
People of all ages need to be treated, people in their 40s cannot be written off when they are at the peak of their work ability. My wish is to work, to be an active part of society, not an invalid on the expense of the state, useless. The state gave me an education, a big media experience, and now it is giving up on me.
The system for the recovery from a stroke in Croatia does not function, and that is the harsh truth! If you get a stroke in Croatia and you don’t have money, you are done. The world is solving these situations with a much better recovery program – says Kornelija, who is currently in therapy in the Polyclinic Glavić in Dubrovnik.
In order to be able to return to her everyday life, Kornelija needs to receive an injection every four months, for which she has no money. After receiving the first injection, Dr. Josip Glavić gave her three weeks of free therapy, which was a major step forward in her rehabilitation. Kornelija is endlessly grateful to him and to everyone that helped her and continue to help her.
She suffered a severe stroke, one of the biggest causes of mortality in our country, on a quiet night while she was sitting on her couch, watching TV at home in Kaštel Gomilica. At one point she wanted to get to the bathroom, but she couldn’t move her legs. Her husband Zdravko Livaja called the ambulance. Luckily, the ambulance took her quickly to the hospital in Split, where they provided help and rescued her.
As she said, you never know what you can expect in life. But one thing is sure, Kornelija has shown that she is a true fighter. The left part of her body was stiffed, but with the help of her family and friends she found in herself a primal strength and began to recover. But, everything that HZZO is providing for the middle aged people that have suffered a stroke is simply not enough for the recovery.
There is a lack of occupational therapists in Croatian public health care, physical therapy through HZZO is too short. In the private sector it is different, but for that more money is needed. Kornelija has experienced all of this, like many others who found themselves in a similar situation.
Her desire to be independent again and not to be burden to anybody, in this game of her life, Kornelija is now depending on the help of good people. The donation to Konrelija Livaja can be made on the following account IBAN: HR4023300033243222016 Splitska banka (with the note: For Korni – you are not alone!).
