The tranquility of the spa town turned into a real buzz yesterday in front of the Vesna children's sanatorium. Dozens of the little residents of the facility in Janské Lázně enjoyed a Fairytale Day with animals in the area surrounded by the nature of the Krkonoše Mountains. They completed fun and educational tasks, got to know domestic and wild animals and even tried out a handbike, a specially adapted hand-powered bicycle.
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At the sanatorium, the most popular discipline was fishing. Photo: Stanislav Ďoubal
"We have children with various disabilities here, so at individual stations they complete various tasks according to their abilities, for which they receive gifts. We prepared everything with the aim of ensuring that everyone enjoys the day," explained Irena Korytářová, the sanatorium's leisure activities officer.
At one of the stations, the little patients could see, for example, an owl from the Rescue Station and Pasíčka Ecocenter, at another they stroked rabbits, and at another they caught wooden fish using a magnet.
Fishing has also caught the attention of the Hráčková and his wife's triplets from Kunovice near Uherské Hradiště. "Fishing is the most popular discipline, the girls really enjoy it. We usually go to the mountains and today's event is a change, it helps them perceive the world. They primarily have cerebral palsy and other associated disabilities, all three also have hearing problems. They were born prematurely at 24 weeks, weighing about half a kilogram. It took over 8 months for us to get home from the hospital. Each of the girls was in a different neonatology center, so I drove between Ostrava, Brno and Zlín every day to be able to breastfeed them," described Hana Hráčková, mother of five-year-olds Žofia, Amália and Viktoria. The family is in Janské Lázně for the fourth time on a rehabilitation stay. "We have an excellent experience, especially with physiotherapists, who are very high quality. We also undergo accompanying procedures that help our daughters a lot. They always make progress here. We have a long way to go, but we like it here," described the girls' father, Vít Hráček.
Yesterday, Krakonoš was also walking among the children, taking pictures with the little patients at the entrance to the hospital building. "The children react positively to me, if they know me, they are enthusiastic, and if some are afraid, I have a picture and a candy ready for them. I always say that children should not be scared by Krakonoš, but by bad politicians," laughed Lubomír Kočíb, a representative of the mountain lord from Vrchlabí, who also appears at events at the ski resort in Špindlerův Mlýn.
According to the director of the Vesna Children's Hospital Martin Voženílek, children usually come to Janské Lázně for four to five weeks and the weekend events are a pleasant diversion and a chance for them to take a break from the treatment procedures. "We have around two hundred children here aged from 6 months to 18 years and I assume that they will all gradually settle in," Voženílek explained, adding that yesterday's Children's Day was held for the second time and for the management of the facility it also meant discussions about further assistance to the children's families: "We are also thinking up other projects to support our patients. Our partner is the Agrofert Foundation and other companies and together with them we are trying to identify families that need help. Today is an opportunity for us to meet and discuss specific plans." (sd)
