Oleksandr Kaluher is the winner of the Grand Prix of the IX International Charity Festival “Follow Your Dream” in 2015. This year he is going to leave the Tsiuriupinsk orphanage for children with special needs. Sashko has a birth defect: an amputated right leg. But it did not prevent him from becoming a winner at the “Follow Your Dream” Festival in 2015; his dance, prepared especially for the contest, won the festival. The performance can be watched online at.
“We received an invitation to participate in the festival, so I learned this dance with a girl from our orphanage. Our physics group leader helped us with the dance”,– says Sashko.
“Sashko sings songs, plays the piano;hehas been taking the guitar lessons at the musical school for 4 years, he is playing a little bit,” – says Vadym, Sashko’s teacher. Sashko interrupts Vadym loudly with his “NOT a little bit”, both are laughing.
But the top prize for Oleksandr after having won the festival was an opportunity to get a new artificial limb, since the previous one is small. The new prostheticdevice has been made free and custom designed by the specialists of the “Ortoteh Service” in Kyiv, who were responsive on Sashko’s need. Hespecially came to the capital to talk to his doctors and have all necessary measurements made. Sashko and his teacher were cordially received in Kyiv by the “Rus” hotel and the “Premier Hotels and Resorts” network, our long-term partners, and we express our sincere thanks to them.
Oleksandr Zalensky, a prosthetic technician, and Oleksandr Stetsenko, director and chief physician of the “Ortoteh Service”, made for Sashkoa mechanical prosthetic device. The boy could not immediately be nimble on his feet, but in 15 minutes Sashkos talked along the corridor. “I am very grateful to havethe prosthesis, it was my dream. I still have to get used to it, but I am happy and grateful to Oleksandr Stetsenko and the “Follow Your Dream” Festival for the chance to move and dance!” – says Oleksandr Kaluher.
“This is not a final version of the prosthesis. We expect Sashkoto passhisschool exams and visit us again. Then we are going to replace some parts of the device: make the carbon basis and put on some “make – up”. The prosthesis will beabsolutely similar to the leg”,– said Oleksandr Zalensky, a prosthetic technician.
Sashko’sfuture plans include entering the university and getting a degree of a social worker. “I want to be like Vadym, that is, a social worker [Sashko’s teacher]. I will help people”,–Sashko shares his plans with us. Being self-confident, he is going to enter the university on a competitive basis.
We are tremendously pleased that the Association “Social Protection” with the GO “Follow Your Dream” have been able to help such a nice boy. We believe in his talents and abilities, and we are going to follow his future success. We express our deep respect to the Tsiuriupinsk orphanage educators for their unresting activities. We thank the “Rus” hotel, the “Premier Hotels and Resorts” chain for Sashko’s placement, pidmoga.info for their assistance, as well as the “Ortoteh Service” for making his prosthesis.
Detailed information on the Tenth “Follow Your Dream” Festival at: http://mriy.org/en/
