Paraplegic can walk

Dino returned home at the beginning of the new year after 60 days in hospital. As a reminder, our partner invested himself in the material and spiritual care of Bosnian flood victims when he suddenly developed severe back pain and could no longer feel his legs and feet.

Despite his heart problems, he had to undergo several operations. During the first operation, he suffered a cardiac arrest, had to be resuscitated, fell back into a coma several times and only survived by a miracle. Despite the known risk, he had to undergo several emergency operations and we are grateful that God saved his life.

Today, Dino can walk just a few steps with the help of a walking frame. "The doctors were surprised that I was able to stand up," he tells us. "Before I left the hospital, the surgeon told me that I had been admitted as a paraplegic who they had assumed would never be able to walk again. God is already performing miracles on me."

We are very grateful for this outcome and for the patience and confidence that Dino was able to show. "I enjoyed God's blessing and trusted him when I was healthy. I still trust him and accept whatever he decides. Nothing that happens to us happens without his will. The doctors say that recovery can take a long time. So I will continue to be patient. But I know that sometimes a miracle happens in a single day."

With this attitude, Dino can be an inspiration to many people in his neighbourhood. Even in hospital, he never missed a chance to talk about Jesus. A carer told him that he had seen his testimony on YouTube about how Jesus had changed his life. He now sees how Dino encourages others, even though he is in a bad way himself, and this makes his testimony credible.

There is currently the possibility of obtaining a second opinion from a neurosurgeon, but this would first require positive test results. It is an urgent prayer that Dino can be referred to a clinic for rehabilitation as soon as possible.

Dino has been running the second-hand shop Pasija in central Bosnia for around nine years. From this work, he generates money for social projects and donates clothes and items to marginalised people and homes. His employees now run the shop without him. "But Pasija is not just a shop, it's also a service," says Dino. "So I will try to return as soon as possible - even in a wheelchair."