The football player who dreams of walking

Iulian has blue eyes and a smile that lights up the courtyard of the little house where he lives with his father, grandfather, and brothers. Like any child his age, he wants to run and discover the world. But Iulian runs more with his heart than with his body: his left foot only touches the ground with the tip of its toes, and every step tires him.  

'It's very hard for him to walk... his tendon is short', says George, his father, who noticed Iulian's gait years ago. He did his best to take him to the city, to specialized doctors, in the hope that a solution would be found for his son. So far, they haven't and, the doctors told him, with time, Iulian's condition could worsen. His spine could also be affected.  

'We tried. I went to Iași, to therapy, by boat, to Constanța...'. Then came the pandemic. In the meantime, George went abroad to earn money. He still remembers that a doctor told him about the possibility of operating on Iulian in a private hospital. But they didn't have any money. And then another wave of problems came upon them. 

A work accident left the family without their main source of income and George with twelve screws in one leg and six in the other. And when the children's mother left, the father returned to the country and stayed to look after them.   

And because he doesn't know anyone in Bucharest, where he thinks it might be the solution for Iulian, and they don't have the money for the operation, they manage as best they can in Dăeni, with what they have.  

Mrs. Tica, the commune's social worker, has been a great help. She was there when they had to draw up the files for disability, child benefits and moving home.

Only Iulian's shoes break every two to three weeks. Because he goes to school and church on Sundays. And in the yard, where he wants to play soccer. Because, he says with a twinkle in his eye, ‘I really like being a goalkeeper. I help the team.’ 

Iulian still needs help from Ms. Tica and other professional workers like her, so that, his father hopes, eventually the leg surgery will take place, and Iulian will be able to walk.   

Like any father, George would like to hope that one day he will see Iulian playing soccer. But today, from their corner of the world with modest resources, he fears that the dream may remain just that, a dream.