Help for Gabriel

“It hurts that he doesn’t recognize me as his mom!”

Although he doesn’t recognize her as his mom, Monika is always there for her little one.(Bild: Pressefoto Scharinger/Daniel Scharinger)

Ten years ago, after his mother developed preeclampsia, Gabriel had to be delivered via emergency C-section—afterward, he suffered a brain hemorrhage that caused his cerebrum to die completely. Nevertheless, his mom, Monika, from the Mondsee area, cares for her little treasure unconditionally.  

“Everything was fine during the pregnancy—until two weeks before the due date. If we hadn’t gone to the hospital, neither of us would be here today,” recalls Monika from the Mondsee area, thinking back on those dramatic moments ten years ago. Because of preeclampsia, it wasn’t just Monika fighting for her life—her little treasure, her first child, whom they had been so eagerly awaiting, had to be delivered via emergency C-section.

For a long time, it wasn’t clear whether he would survive
“It all happened so fast. Gabriel had to be resuscitated immediately, and an hour later he also had a brain hemorrhage,” says his loving mom. Due to his critical condition, he had to be on a ventilator for several days. For a long time, it wasn’t clear whether he would survive. “We even had an emergency baptism. In the end, though, the doctors wanted to try taking him off the ventilator and see if he could manage on his own,” Monika explains. Gabriel wanted to live! Nevertheless, he was left with lasting damage—and it was worse than feared.

Entire cerebrum dead due to cerebral hemorrhage
The exact diagnosis: infantile cerebral palsy, a severe form of early-childhood brain damage. “The brainstem is functioning, but the cerebrum is completely dead,” says Dad Karl. For the now 10-year-old, this means he requires round-the-clock care.

Please help us, too!

Dear readers!
If you’d like to help Daniela, please donate to our “Krone” special account at Hypo Oberösterreich, using the reference “Wheelchair ”:

IBAN: AT76 5400 0000 0040 0002;
BIC: OBLAAT2L

If you’re donating via online banking, please make sure the account name “Verein Krone-Leser helfen” is listed.

Donors may choose to have their names published in our newspaper. If you wish to remain anonymous, please indicate this separately in the “Purpose” field. Donations are tax-deductible!

He can neither see nor communicate, is always confined to a wheelchair, and must be fed through a feeding tube. “For the first six years, he was always crying. That was really difficult. It only got better after he started taking special medication,” says Monika, who admits, “Of course, it hurts that he doesn’t recognize me as his mom!”

New wheelchair needed
But doubts and questions about “why” never crossed the minds of this devout family. Everything was invested in Gabriel without any ifs or buts—even after Monika and Karl’s relationship ended. Because despite the breakup, the two of them continue to care for their little treasure together around the clock. They try their best to manage the financial burdens that constantly arise.

“Unfortunately, there’s no financial assistance for any of this,” says Monika. They even have to cover part of the high cost of a necessary new wheelchair themselves.