A QUICK JOURNEY THROUGH “MOTOL”

AROUND THE WORLD WITH “MOTOLetem”

Ohhh yes, a plane would really come in handy right now. The car is great too, but just imagine how many hours Mum and Dad and I spend in it these days!

Or maybe we could have a magic ring like Arabela’s, give it a twist, and magically appear right at the entrance to Motol Hospital.

We’d also happily take the magic telephone from Mach and Šebestová!

Does anyone happen to have one of these things, please? Czech Television

So, what are our days like when we head to the hospital for check-ups every single week?

We get up at 4:30 a.m. Well, Mum gets up at 4:30 a.m. Dad and I sleep until the very last moment. Mum packs everything, prepares some snacks, has a coffee, and then wakes us up. Hustle and bustle, and before you know it, I’m dressed, sitting in my car seat, and we’re off to Motol!

Mum always accompanies me on these trips, and my other travel companion takes turns. Sometimes it’s Dad; when he can’t make it, Grandma or Great-Grandma comes along. And sometimes it’s just Mum and me.

Unfortunately, there’s no breakfast waiting for me on these days, because I have blood tests that morning. So I’m pretty grumpy!

We set off at around 6:30 a.m. Sometimes I manage to catch a little nap in the car, which makes the journey much more pleasant. We park near Grandpa’s apartment in Dejvice and then hop on the metro to the hospital.

We arrive at the hospital at 8:30 a.m. Our first stop is one nobody is allowed to skip: a picture of a magician blowing bubbles. We always wave to him! Then we take the lift up to the fateful third floor, where the smiling nurses are already waiting for us. And then everything happens one thing after another, like a well-oiled machine.

First, my blood is drawn (ten tubes!). When I had my PICC line, they also checked the PICC line, made sure it was working properly, and changed the dressing. I usually spent about 15–20 minutes with the nurses while they took care of all these things.

Then Mum quickly packed everything up, and finally, it was time for breakfast! I’m always SO hungry…

After breakfast, we dash down to the ground floor to the doctor’s office, where the doctor is waiting for us. And we start all over again. They take my temperature, weigh me, measure how much I’ve grown, and the doctor asks Mum how I’m doing, what progress I’ve made, and whether I’ve had any problems. Then she picks me up and moves me around in different ways to see whether I have the right reflexes and reactions…

AND I DO! (For example, when I’m turned upside down, I already put my little arms out to protect myself. When I lose my balance while sitting, I can catch myself with my hands. It’s just my little legs that still haven’t found their strength.)

After the check-up, we wait for the blood test results (sometimes for as long as four hours!) and for the phone call telling Mum that she can come and collect the results and the report on how I’m doing after my intensive treatment.

For Mum, this is always an endless wait. She gets nervous, hoping my results will be good so we can finally head back home.

So I usually sleep through most of the waiting time because, after all the morning’s activities, I’m absolutely exhausted! Sometimes, when I don’t feel like sleeping, we spend time at the playground, walk around the entire hospital looking at the colourful painted picture walls, or hang out in the café. We find all sorts of ways to pass the time.

After x number of hours, the phone finally rings to say that the results are ready! These days, Mum goes into the doctor’s office on her own, and so far, she has always come out with a smile.

We usually get back into the car to head home at around 3 p.m., and we arrive home at around 5 p.m., depending on the traffic jams. I play with my parents for a little while, and then, after the long day, I finally collapse into my little bed, with a cuddle, a kiss, and a bedtime story.

And that’s how it goes every single week!

Now, there’s something new on the schedule: another therapy session that Mum has arranged with Daniela from our SMEČNO family, who takes care of us (I’ll tell you more about our “new family” in a future post).

E.