Introducing Bosnian landmine survivors Dejan Zvizdalo and Goran Dizdarevic.

 

Dejan: 

Dejan was eight years old when the accident happened on August 5th, 1993. Dejan was standing in front of the school in Trnovo. There was a grenade lying on the ground and Dejan was curious about it, so he picked up to bring home. It fell out his hands and exploded! His left leg was hanging on a piece of skin, while the right leg was already gone. Dejan didn’t lose conscious at all, and he was aware of what is happening to him all the time.   After receiving first aid, he was taken to a hospital where both legs were immediately amputated.

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Since receiving medical assistance from MLI and the MVA CHAMPS Bosnia program, Dejan has procured employment as a technician at a local Prosthetic Center.  He is very happy with the help he has received through this program. 

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Goran

Goran shared the story of his accident and how his life has been since that time:

“The accident happened on May 21, 1993 as a result of an explosion. I was out in Dolac Malta in Sarajevo city area with my friends. I was a teenager. The explosion suddenly hit a group of us, and I was severely injured. In the first days after the injury, the doctors tried to save my leg, but they did not succeed, and on June 4, 1993, my right leg below the knee was amputated.  I was released from the hospital on June 30, 1993. Further recovery went quite well, after about 6-8 months my first prosthesis was made by a company in Sarajevo, which was not very functional, but allowed me to take my first steps without the help of stack.  After the war, in 1996, I received my first prosthesis from Otto Bock and since then I have been a user of their prostheses. 

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I am an IT specialist by profession, and I am currently employed as a System Integrator. Informatics was my first hobby, which eventually grew into a profession. In addition, I enjoy tennis and skiing, and I like to spend my free time on the road driving a car or motorcycle, which are also my great passion.”

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“Thank you very much once again, because this vacuum PART will allow me to continue to be an active amputee, with as few problems and pains as possible.”  (Received through the CHAMPS MVA Bosnia Program in 2022)​

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Both Dejan & Goran N

Dejan and Goran are both recipients of MLI's CHAMPS Bosnia-Herzgovina Mine Victims Assistance Program (MVA). Both of these incredible landmine survivors were honored with the Survivor of the Year Award at an MLI Clearing the Path Gala for their tenacity, perseverance, and commitment to inspiring others.

 

Thanks to the prosthetic support they received through the CHAMPS Bosnia Program, Goran and Dejan are staying active this winter season! Both men love to ski, hike, and bike! Losing limbs during the Bosnian War, these survivors refuse to let their disabilities hold them back from a life full of adventure.

 

Dejan, a double amputee, is also employed as a technician at a Prosthetic Center in Bosnia, where he works to help make prosthetics for other survivors! Goran, a single amputee, devotes his life to IT and inspiring others through sport.

 

Thank you Dejan and Goran for inspiring us all to live life to its fullest!