The Budapest-based Démétér Foundation is establishing a new center for children and their families who have undergone bone marrow transplantation in Doboz-Szanazug. A life-saving bone marrow transplant means long hospitalization and even years of isolation. After a period that burdens the whole family, those affected need help to process the years of illness. The box-Sanazug institution will provide assistance in this regard.

Since 2006, our foundation has operated the Démétér House on the premises of the Central Hospital of Dél-Pest, where children treated in the transplant department and their parents receive housing and full support for their recovery, Gabriella Sedlák told ha beol.hu. The program director of the foundation said that fourteen apartments have been created in the mentioned house, where the children who have undergone transplantation and their families can be accommodated, and partial rehabilitation also takes place there. In addition, programs are organized in the institution, and a physiotherapist, dietitian, psychologist, spiritual caregiver, and a full range of professional staff help with recovery. Recently, the construction of the garden and the playground were completed in the area, and at the same time new opportunities were sought to broaden the possibilities of rehabilitation.

– Volunteers will also help with the work, and we will organize various leisure programs. We want children and their families to be able to go to equestrian camps, the Gyula Castle Bath, and canoe tours. We want to offer experiences to those who come to us. The sessions will be informal and take place in a relaxed manner, as we are thinking about creating a family milieu in Budapest as well as in Szanazug.

Gabriella Sedlák explained that a significant number of families are not in an easy financial situation, which is why they want to provide them with the opportunity to take a vacation.

- We strive to make everything free of charge, this is already ensured in the case of therapy programs, and in other areas we are looking for resources as an NGO - he pointed out.

"This is also important because when the families can return home from the Démétér house, they still need help and support, " added the specialist. - That is why we are creating a rehabilitation center in Doboz-Szanazug, where we will deal with these families.

The program director pointed out that it is a very burdensome, long-lasting illness, and that is why it is more difficult for families to fit back into their previous environment, and the same is true for children, who are now free to do many things, there are no longer as many things on the forbidden list as the in the pre-healing phase.

- We want to deal with siblings separately, since they are forced to be without one parent for a very long time, since one of them is constantly with their child in the sterile box, and the sibling of the child who has undergone a bone marrow transplant can meet his absent mother or father only on the weekend - said Gabriella Sedlák . – It is very important that they also know that they are an important part of the family.

The specialist said that 83 percent of patients recover, but there are also losses. Szilvia Némethné Tóth, an evangelical pastor, spiritual caregiver, and grief therapist, will start groups to help with the processing according to needs.

The property in Božoz-Sanazug is located on 1,200 square meters, the house itself is 250-300 square meters, and there is also an outbuilding on the lot. The program director explained that the property was inherited ten years ago, which had been vacant for seven years at that time. The building was taken care of by a married couple to prevent further deterioration.

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Photo: Démétér Foundation