This time of year, a lot of us focus on giving back and helping others. This is Shriners Hospitals for Children’s mentality every day, and they get to help some pretty special people.
Dmytro Yakym is the happiest kid in Ukraine, and now he just may be the happiest kid in St. Louis! He had never seen the Cardinals in real life, only on TV, and now he has gotten the chance to see them. Dmytro even got to take a selfie with pitcher Carlos Martinez during his time here.
St. Louis has become a second home for Dmytro thanks for Shriners Hospitals for Children. He was abandoned by his biological parents when he was just a baby and was diagnosed with a neurological disorder called Cerebral palsy. Dmytro has problems walking because of his condition.
Doctors and staff at Shriners Hospital are really experts in their field. They treat a lot of kids with individual problems, like Dmytro, and they are able to bring the latest technology and thought processes to get the best result they can.
Shriners helps all children, regardless of their ability to pay. This has been a great help to Dmytro’s adopted mom who always travels with him for his treatments. Dmytro has learned English through all of his hospital visits, and now he helps his mom translate. He says he is staying positive that there will be no more pain and he is glad that he can walk and move around. He hopes he will be an example to other kids to get up and be independent! It may not be easy, but it is possible.
Since surgery and all of his hard work, Dmytro has been able to ride a bike and swim! Much of that progress is thanks to Shriners Hospitals for Children here in St. Louis. Find out more about them at ShrinersHospitalsforChildren.org or by calling 314-342-3600.