Alex’s Story

Alexandros Kallergis

Our first candidate for 2021, selected by our Board in May 2021, is Alexandros Kallergis, a three-year old boy living in Athens.

Alexandros was born at just 28 weeks. He is one of two twin boys, born prematurely due to the fact that his twin, Mario, stopped growing. Both twins survived birth, and were taken to the NICU where they remained for months.

Unfortunately, Alexandros developed hydrocephalus, and a brain shunt was permanently placed in his head. He suffered infantile spasms and the brain hemorrhage caused damage to his brain. Soon thereafter, he was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy.

By the age of 2, Alexandros has had a total of 9 surgeries. Despite all of these obstacles, he is a happy and sweet little boy who tried hard to reach each developmental stage. At the age of 3, he has managed to be able to sit independently, hold on to objects so he can stand himself up, and walk with a walker. However, he cannot take independent steps nor maintain his balance if he does not hold on to something.

According to Dr. T.S. Park, a neurosurgeon at the Children’s Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri, Alexandros may end up in a wheelchair as an adult if his spasticity is not removed, as it is causing damage to his muscle and skeletal system.

Alexandros is an ideal candidate for SDR (Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy), a spinal surgery that can only be performed successfully in few parts of the world, with the Children’s Hospital in St. Louis being one of those places.

Hellenic Heart for Kids has a fundraising goal of $75,000 in order to get Alexandros the surgery that he needs. We are hoping to raise this money by September 2021, so that he can be flown in for the procedure sometime around Christmas of this year. For more information regarding the surgery and the hospital, please visit: https://www.stlouischildrens.org/conditions-treatments/center-for-cerebral-palsy-spasticity.