Humanitarian Foundation BUDI HUMAN - Aleksandar Šapić

raises funds for Bojan Kocić (1971).

Bojan suffers from Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). The first symptoms of the disease appeared when he was eighteen months old, it manifested as unstable walking, sudden falls and progressive weakening and atrophy of the whole body muscles. Muscle tissue biopsy confirmed his  diagnosis of  SMA in 1977. SMA is a rare genetic disease for which there was no cure. Bojan had a rehabilitation at Sijarinska  Banja spa center as a child, while his parents were able to take care of him and his younger brother, who also suffered from SMA.

The course of the disease is a progressive weakening of the muscles and loss of basic vital functions leading to complete paralysis and death. Bojan's mother passed away in 2007 and his father in 2011. Bojan and his brother, completely disabled, have since then lived with the help of three personal assistants and caregivers. His brother lost the battle with SMA on 14 October  2018.

Since then, Bojan's big problems arose and made him ask for help. Not only did he lose his last family member but he was left without adequate assistance needed to survive.

Since January 2019, according  the law on personal assistance, he got the assistance of only one personal assistant forty hours a week, which leaves him completely alone and unable to even bring himself a glass of water, the remaining 128 hours a week. The only way he can survive is to pay for another assistant himself, but he is not able to, since his income is disability pension, from which he has to cover all other bills, medicines, food, clothes and other  necessities for the most basic life.

Although disabled, Bojan is interested in computer technology with aids, which he strives to continue to help spread the idea of ​​independent living for people with disabilities. While his brother was alive, they worked together because their goal has always been to spread awareness of the need to live independently despite disability.

The money Bojan raises  will be primarily used for paying  the services of an additional personal assistant, who will help him when the current and the only one he had leaves. Assistants are his hands, feet, voice. Without their help, Bojan cannot use the toilet, cannot lie down or get out of bed, nor can he drink a glass of water.

He also needs the means to get electric wheelchairs and medicines.

Let's make Bojan's everyday life easier! Let's be humane!

Let's help Bojan!