In a tragic accident, when a daughter suffered a serious injury, the woman decided to share a valuable experience: doctors do not say everything

Having found the strength not to give up, the woman not only did not give up on helping her daughter return to a normal life, but also decided to help other people who were in similar situations as her family. Today, the organization “Surviving”, founded by a woman, helps those who can best help themselves after going through all the difficult and ignorant roads.

The organization “I Survived”, which N. Stanevičien her calls her baby, was born after her family suffered a severe shock: a tragic car accident. Neringa’s daughter, who suffered a very serious brain injury during the accident, was hit the hardest during the accident, and doctors predicted there was virtually no hope of survival. But after denying all the predictions and going a long way in allowing their daughter Catherine to enjoy her childhood again, they decided that sharing all the experiences she had gained could help others.

“The organization was born from what we went through, we went through those shocks, along that path of brain injury and rehabilitation. We decided that we had to share our experience, because in Lithuania there is not as much information as we needed, it was almost impossible to find it. Therefore, we decided that we want to share our experiences, our experiences and inspire people to hope that everything is possible, ”says N. Stanevičienė.

No one is protected from brain injury.

It is true that brain injuries are not limited to cases like Catherine’s. The term is extremely broad and covers a variety of brain injuries that can occur in epilepsy, stroke, brain tumor, or postpartum trauma.

Anyone with any type of brain injury can apply to the Survivors organization. “That concept covers a really wide range. It is not just an injury sustained in a car accident. A person can suffer a brain injury anytime, anywhere, and active leisure or sports can also be the cause. You are never protected from that. Even at home, you can fall down the stairs and hurt your head, “says the founder of the organization” Survived. “

The most important thing is support and conversation.

Not only those who need financial help, but also those who need moral support in the event of a brain injury can apply to the Survived Foundation. According to Neringa, listening and supporting are very important for a person in such a situation.

“We try not to disturb, we are waiting for the moment when they themselves feel they need help and turn to us. We have lived it and we know that from the beginning everything is confusing, incomprehensible, at that moment you do not want to communicate with anyone, you block yourself. So first we let you know that we are here and can help. When people realize they need help and call, the first crumbs of our help are the conversation. We know how difficult it is to open up and talk to inexperienced people. At that moment, it seems to you that nobody understands you. Even the closest people. Therefore, you generally want to be heard by the person who has experienced it all. And we lend our ears first, ”says N. Stanevičienė.

After listening, you need to share and gain experience. For those who refer to “I have survived,” it sets out the essential things that should be given the most attention in the very “hot” phase, according to Neringa.

“Maybe the person is still in resuscitation, so we advise him what doctors sometimes do not say. For example, it is necessary to support the legs in a certain position, do certain exercises to make it easier for a person at a later stage We strive to provide all the information that has been of great use to us, that we have discovered and put into practice in the search for ourselves. We communicate with physical therapists, occupational therapists and speech therapists on a daily basis. a concrete case and we try to pass our knowledge on to the person. And then we decide if a person needs financial help, “says N. Stanevičienė about those who request help from the organization.

Crying by the bed, no

In such a situation, it is extremely important to receive encouragement and advice from the party. Therefore, when asking a woman what she would like to say to a man whose loved one has just been diagnosed with a “brain injury,” Neringa urges not to be afraid to seek help.

“You are not alone. Know that we are. You can always call us. And of course the most important thing I want to say, and what I myself still have a horrible body to this day, is BELIEVE. loved one who turned out to be, and most importantly, do not cry next to the bed. Do not give negative emotions even if that person is in a coma. Many will say that he feels nothing and hears nothing, but he does not. He feels everything. The most important thing is to give only positive thoughts, energy, speak, tell a person everything that happens in everyday life, touch him, stimulate the olfactory and auditory receptors and believe that miracles happen. Because we are an example. We have more examples in our organization that show that faith really works wonders ”, urges Neringa to stop believing.

Such challenges only intensify

No less important than faith is reconciliation with the idea that life after a brain injury will no longer be the same as it used to be. However, according to Neringa, this does not mean that life is worse.

“If you’ve suffered a very bad brain injury, the fact is, 100 percent. recovery will certainly not be achieved. But that doesn’t mean you can’t live a full life, say, with the 99 percent. Recovery. Every morning we all wake up different from yesterday. But that does not mean that day will not be better than yesterday. If it is otherwise, it does not mean that it will be worse. Or maybe it will improve. Perhaps those challenges will strengthen you so much that in this way you will realize yourself and achieve what you did not even know you could achieve. You never have to think that life is over and will be bad after injury. I think with those positive thoughts moving forward, the day will always be brighter, ”says Catherine’s mother.

When Neringa was asked to reveal where she had gained the strength not to give up, she said she had no answer to this question. It is likely that the force is encoded in the genes of this family.

“Sometimes I look at my mother and see how strong she is, that she gave me so much,” says N. Stanevičienė. In the woman’s family, her daughter’s case was not the first time she had a close-up of a brain injury. When Neringa was 18 years old, her aunt was also in a car accident, during which she suffered a serious head injury.

In addition, Neringa’s father already had, as she herself says, difficult to count: 4 or 5 brain surgeries, during which the tumors were removed. “When they ask me how you went through all this, I say that I had no right to choose. I just had to bet, go and do it. Thank God I have a man who is a pillar for me. There were times when he leaned over me, then I leaned into him. When I tripped, he shook me and said, “Listen, there’s no time to break up here, you need to work. We will work, we will have to do it ”, says Neringa.

Fund resources are the contribution of each family

The hard work has led to great results both on the daughter’s road to recovery and in helping others dealing with brain injuries. We always try to distribute the fund’s funds evenly so that there are no downsides and fewer recipients. With us, each person also receives their own personal account. We have both a general account for the organization and for each individual. We chose this way because when we communicate with families, we always say that fundraising is their contribution too. Because people are active on social media these days, we’ve chosen a way for families and themselves to get involved in fundraising. So if they want to get a job, they have their own personal account, which they publish and the money that goes into it is given to their families. The total account is already distributed equally to each family.

Our uniqueness is that we have chosen not to give cash. We pay for services, we meet needs, if you need any equipment, physical therapy, speech therapy or other specialized services, or maybe some items, all of which are not funded by the state. If something is needed, we first try to find out if it really is not funded by the state. Are there really no ways to get at least partial compensation? Says N. Stanevičienė.

Immeasurable assistance

The funds raised in the “Survived” fund have helped many families. One of them is a family whose child Milda suffered a brain injury during childbirth. The funds raised by the organization enabled her to purchase a special chair, which greatly facilitated the family’s life. Both these measures and all the necessary services cost thousands, but the state reimburses only part of them. After raising funds, both Milda and the other children in the organization are paid for physical therapy, speech therapy and occupational therapy services.

“We currently have eight families, of which only three agree to advertise, appear on social media and raise funds. Others, our so-called silent members, are still afraid of publicity and unwilling to tell their stories out loud. It still exists. the firm belief that asking is a shame. And we have to respect the will of the people, but in that case it is a much more difficult way to raise the necessary funds and find ways to support them “, says the founder of the organization” Survived “.

Ways to contribute to “Sobreviví” activities

N. Stanevičienė says that she is eager to find companies that want to contribute to the activities of “survivors”. “Companies that want to contribute must send us an email and we will send them the contract. We don’t care how much the company can put up, we accept all donations. Perhaps we will find other opportunities for cooperation, as family members, whose lives are also radically changing, should not be forgotten in providing support to the victim. Rest or a couple of hours become golden values ​​for you ”, Neringa addresses the companies.

Those who want to contribute to the activities of the organization “I survived” can do so in the way that suits them best:

Paypal: [email protected]

When transferring support to VšĮ Išgyvenau account (company code 304780419, Swedbank LT547300010154552773)

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