The path is, of course, more than thorny, and Petr Šmeral would also go to a book with his story. Only the chapter “how to survive financially with a 24-hour job as a nanny” would be a separate guide.
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After years of despair, however, Mr. Šmeral decided to face fate and not depend only on the social system and came to the market with Herášek, a healthy snack that should help not only him but also other people in the future who found themselves in similar problems as him. with her daughter.
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Simonka was born with a rare genetic defect called CFC syndromewhich causes a combined disability. From birth, they practiced Vojta’s method with her, which did not help, so after years, thanks to her father’s efforts to improve her life, she underwent several leg surgeries and foot reconstruction.
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At the moment when the rehabilitation stay in Klimkovice ended, Simonka strengthened so much that she was able to walk more than 300 m with support, but unfortunately very soon her health deteriorated sharply.
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She developed gastroenterological problems accompanied by severe seizures, and despite all the efforts of both the school and the integration center and the doctors, her health deteriorated and worsened, until she was eventually imprisoned at home with her father.
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As long as Simonka could go to school, hospital, etc., her father could still do business. But as soon as her condition worsened and no one was able to help her from the trouble, all the 24-hour care fell on him.
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“I was used to changing my surroundings and influencing the people around me, and suddenly I only had to change myself. Accept the fact that you spend your time on 40 m2 and all the responsibility lies with you without the opportunity to consult someone. This will either change and strengthen you internally, or it will destroy you, ”Petr Šmeral confided to Novinky.
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“At work, I always tried to focus on problems, difficulties, finding bottlenecks, solve a specific problem and move on. And suddenly I was in a situation where there were a huge number of problems, difficulties and bottlenecks. Not only regarding the health side of the daughter, but also in communicating with the authorities, adopting their rules or eternally fighting with insurance companies that claim something, but in reality do nothing at all, “he adds.
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Taking care of his daughter took all his time. As he himself admitted, his last free day was June 26, 2018, and since then he has only been with Simonka. “When she is asleep, I have to listen to her and watch her on the monitors, when she is awake, I have to take care of her and relieve her of the pain, cramps and troubles that are bothering her. It is a never-ending process that is repeated every day, regardless of weekends or holidays. Looking for strength and extra energy for anything else has been and still is challenging, but there are moments and moments when I can finish something and say to myself – good job, ”says Mr. Šmeral.
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Standing in a situation similar to that of Mr Petr does not help much. Assistance services of a common social nature are a scarce commodity, lacking both the people themselves and the necessary financial resources.
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“Long-term health assistance services are completely unavailable and I am personally happy to be able to provide five or six hours of assistance services a week to handle basic things away from home,” Simonka’s father points out.
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“To illustrate what it looks like when you lose your job and the possibility of a salary, a team, involvement, external impulses and more. The salary is zero CZK. My daughter is entitled to the highest level of care allowance, which is CZK 19,200, transport allowance CZK 550, alimony in the amount of CZK 3,500, and I can apply for a child allowance of CZK 2,000 and housing for CZK 9,000. Overall, it looks like a lot of money, but if you deduct from that amount the cost of housing, food, medical and hygiene aids, which are high for a severely disabled daughter, you don’t have much money left for the assistance service, ”he adds.
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After constant struggles with the authorities, he therefore decided to find a solution that would help him get out of dependence on the social system. He wanted to start producing something typically Czech at home, which everyone knows as a common raw material, and at the same time it would not require special production procedures and technologies.
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“In my search for a suitable raw material, I remembered the taste of fried peas from a young age and decided to give it a try. I didn’t find any recipes anywhere, no one had worked on peas in this way until then, so my annual experimentation began. Thanks to the proven process of frying, baking and drying, today I would be able to produce not only 5-6 kg, but up to 50 kg of Heráška per day. Everything in the highest quality, ”confides Mr. Šmeral.
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The Herášek healthy snack is now ready for larger production. Since the law allows domestic production only if strict construction and hygiene standards are met, which Mr. Petr does not meet, he invented the system and named it Daruji & Daruješ.
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“I do not produce anything, I do not sell anything. Herášek is created as a therapy and I send the result to those interested in the form of a gift. They and others then have the opportunity to financially support us with any amount to a transparent account. Thanks to this system, I was able to collect a small amount, which I decided to invest in the next step and I decided to materialize my hopes in a real project, which I published on the Hithit portal, ”Points out Petr Šmeral, who would like to become a taxpayer again thanks to that.
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In the next time horizon, there is a prospect of building additional spaces, which will serve not only as a shared kitchen, but also a workshop for children after the age of 18.
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If the direction of this project can be realized, then other carers and single people, who have a similar goal as Mr. Petr, will be able to participate. Already today, a number of them got involved in helping with the project.
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