2024-02-16 00:13:02
Wrestling champion Vladimir Dubov is seeking support for his son’s surgery. Here’s his full Facebook post:
Hello! My name is Vladimir Dubov.
You know me as a long-time champion of Bulgaria, world and European vice-champion in freestyle wrestling.
The life of an athlete is a constant struggle not only with rivals, but also with oneself. My greatest achievements and successes have been in the name of Bulgaria. I have always done my best for a better future for my family and especially for my first-born son, who was named in my honor, Vladimir. What more could a father want?
But things happened the hard way for us. During a camp in Belmeken, I received a call from my wife that she was in the hospital and that I would become a father at any moment. By 5 in the morning I was already in front of the hospital in Sofia.
After 3 hours in the 7th month, weighing 1600 g, our Vladko was born.
I was the first to see him a few hours later in the incubator. He was breathing heavily and was so tiny I could barely keep my balance.
After 2 months in the hospital, he was discharged. We brought him home and after 3 hours I left for another camp.
I was fighting on the mat, and my son was fighting with the severe diagnosis – Cerebral Palsy.
It took me a long time to accept it.
Vladi took his first independent steps shortly before the age of 4 after an operation in Serbia. Two years later, he underwent Achilles lengthening surgery.
9 years of continuous rehabilitation. A fight for every step. Vladi is a real champion. His stubbornness and stubbornness are sometimes even greater than mine.
Despite everything, he learned to ride a bicycle, read, count, write. Sam learned to speak Russian, and has been studying English hard for several months.
Only he can’t handle walking. His muscles are very tight (spastic) and because of this every day it is more and more difficult for him to walk. The only chance to permanently reduce spasticity is the operation Spastic Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR). Vladi was approved for such surgery by the Cerebral Palsy Clinic in St. Louis, USA. Thanks to this operation, Vladi’s spasticity will be permanently reduced and he will be able to walk significantly better. Detailed information about Vladi’s story and Dr. Park’s opinion can be found here:
Doctor Park developed the SDR method and has over 3,600 similar operations. The Clinic states that orthopedic surgery will most likely be necessary.
The surgeries were scheduled for August, but I learned late last week that Doctor Park will be retiring in May. This information came like a bolt out of the blue! This means that by the end of March we have to collect the entire amount! Time is catastrophically short! But I believe that with your help we have a chance!
The cost of both operations is $64,918. A huge amount for our family. But totally achievable if more people support us.
For anyone who wants to support us, they can do so via:
• Through the Podkrepi.bg platform
• Through the Pavel Andreev Foundation:
• and also via PayPal:
[email protected]
Thanks to your compassion and empathy, we managed to collect BGN 16,316 in 5 weeks!
A big thank you to everyone who has already donated to our boy and everyone who will!