My name is Sebastian- Nicholas and I am 6 years old. I was born on the 3rd of August 2007 at the University Hospital in Bucharest. 

My mother was in labor for almost 20 hours, so my parents decided to call me Sebastian- Nicholas after a character from an animated science fiction film called Immortal. Sebastian-Nicholas is the only entirely human character in this film that fights to save the world. Like him, I have my own fight: the fight for my life!


During the night I was born, I fought against neglect and indi erence from medical personnel who were supposed to protect me and my mom, but they left her alone. I fought to stay alive without oxygen because the umbilical cord strangled me; I fought death because I was nearly dead when I came into this world! 
 

I was in a coma for 2 weeks. In the 3rd week, my mother was given permission to take me in her arms for the rst time and she had to quickly learn how to take care of me and feed me.

When I left the hospital I couldn’t cry, see, hear or eat by myself. 8 times a day, my mom had to insert a tube through my throat directly into my stomach and feed me with a syringe. I am a child with special needs, I have cerebral palsy.

I am ghting for my life every day with my parents beside me. I suffered 3 surgeries and this is only the beginning. With the help of others, I need to learn everything that healthy children know instantly. I cannot sit, I cannot crawl, I cannot eat by myself, I cannot speak; since I was 6 weeks old, I’ve had to undertake all kinds of rehabilitation techniques including physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy.

Sometimes I’m tired, sometimes it’s painful but I am a ghter and I have my family by my side. But they need your help because all of these treatments are very expensive and increasing along with my age. All I can do for now is to lighten the su ering of my parents and grandparents with my beautiful smile but I need YOUR help to keep smiling! 


About Sebi


Sebastian-Nicholas was born on the 3rd of August 2007 at the Bucharest University Emergency Hospital. It was a closely monitored, full term normal pregnancy, with no events that would have jeopardised the development of the pregnancy. Since the moment Sebi’s mom was admitted to hospital during the night of labor, a long string of medical errors lead to Sebastian strangling himself with the umbilical cord. He came out almost dead (Apgar score 1) with only a very weak heartbeat. His resuscitation was not done immediately, and when the doctors nally proceeded, it took 20 minutes to bring Sebi back. Due to a lack of oxygen, his brain was severely a ected, especially the control centres relating to coordination and movement. Sebastian was in a coma for two weeks. Diagnosis at birth was hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy grade 3. 
 

Sebastian was denied the right to a normal life, with each day representing a real challenge in the attempt to maintain a humane standard of living (this is not a metaphorical expression, but one that is intended to be understood literally). Without huge efforts and treatments, Sebastian would regress to the inability to move, simultaneously being subjected to physical suffering. 
 

Due to a severe lack of oxygen and medical supervision during birth, at the age of 6 years: - Sebi can not coordinate his movements: he cannot hold his head up, he cannot sit, and he cannot walk;

Sebi can not eat by himself: he has a tube in his stomach and he is fed by a syringe; -Sebi can not suck or swallow, essentialy drowning on his own saliva and secretions; -Sebi has epilepsy; -Sebi is completely dependent on his parents;

Until the age of around 6 months, Sebi could not see or hear; -Sebi can not speak; -Sebi is severely disabled, with a signi cant delay
in mental and motor development; -One of the side e ects of cerebral palsy is sti ening of the entire body, accompanied by physical suffering (spastic tetra); -Sebi is hypersensitive to environmental conditions. All efforts to recover as much as possible brought us great satisfactions: Sebastian now sees, hears, smiles, laughs, recognises us, has toys, favourite songs and commercials, he likes to be surrounded by people and children, and he requires maximum attention and a lot of love.

On the other hand, Sebastian’s care and needs require huge nancial gures, which were above our powers from the beginning. As he gets older, his care and recovery needs are increasing, together with the costs.

Gina Lungu, Sebi's mom 


 

donations

Donations can be made in the following bank accounts with reference “Friends of AISB Alumni”

Bank: BCR
Name: Lungu Nansi Ionut (Sebi’s father)

LEI: RO 69 RNCB 0245036622920004 EURO: RO 26 RNCB 0245036622920002

SWIFT CODE: RNCBROBU

thank you! 

 

On November 23rd the AISB Alumni Association orga- nized a fund-raiser for Sebastian a 6 year old boy su er- ing from cerebral palsy. Our aim was to cover the cost of his medical care for a year, and to purchase medical supplies and equipment to improve his quality of life.

Sebi is a victim of the poor medical system in Romania. Six years ago his mother was left alone in the delivery room, where there were complications as a result Sebi was robbed of a normal childhood that he could have had.

Thanks to you, we were able to raise 5000 EUR. Howev- er, Sebi and his family are in continuous need of support and donations are more that appreciated. 

For more information, please visit Sebi’s Facebook www.facebook.com/SebastianLungu or his website www.helpsebi.wordpress.com.


Read the entire WORLD Magazine Winter 2013 here.