Alžběta and her brother, who was in a coma, spoke with Oleg Vojtíšek
Our job is to tell the stories of people’s lives. To celebrate them, pass on their messages, and help with saying goodbye. But for today’s episode, we’re struggling to find the right words.
It's about someone who is no longer alive, but isn't quite dead yet.
Alžběta’s brother was a handsome, young man with his whole life ahead of him. A single second and a fall at a construction site changed everything. Since that day, Alžběta has thought of nothing else but how to help her brother. At first, it was about saving him—and, in a way, a miracle. It was about finding the best of the best. Because when your skull is in one hospital and your body is in another, you’re teetering on the edge of the unimaginable.
But his desperate struggle for life gradually turned into the opposite: a struggle over how to end his life so he would no longer suffer. Unfortunately, a young, healthy body is unlikely to give out on its own.
Is it even possible to find hope in such darkness?
What is it like to stand face to face with the empty eyes of a loved one staring at you?
And how is it possible that keeping someone in this condition costs the government millions of crowns a month, yet insurance companies refuse to cover home care, which is slightly less expensive?
Sharing such painful stories helps not only the family, but also everyone who finds themselves—or may one day find themselves—on the brink of a similar abyss. We are therefore immensely grateful to Alžběta for opening the door to a story full of tragedy and systemic absurdities, but also of incredible strength and reconciliation.
Warning: The details of the accident discussed in the podcast are not suitable for the faint of heart.