High school students raise more than 15.000 euros for Daris

More than 15 thousand euros were raised by the people of Bar, led by students from the "Niko Rolović" Gymnasium, who this month organized and participated in the humanitarian basketball tournament "From Heart to Basket", and the money raised is intended for the first steps Daris Jakupi.

Under the slogan "Take a two-step for Daris' first step," high school students wanted to financially assist the family of a four-year-old boy in further treatment, as the boy, who was diagnosed with spina bifida at birth, faces intensive rehabilitation and a difficult surgery.

High school students who participated in the organization, led by a teacher Milkica Carmak, "Vijesti" was told that the tournament lasted three days only for those who watched it from the sidelines. For those who created it, those were days woven from months of preparation, worry, sacrifice, sleepless nights and one huge desire - to help.

While matches were being played on the field, a much more important game of life was being played outside - for hope, for smiles, for the faith that no child and no family should be alone in their struggle.

"When we look at everything that has been done today, we don't just see the tournament. We see hearts. We see Milkica Čarmak with her colleagues and the beautiful high school students who have shown that humanity has no age and that the greatest things happen when young people decide to be the change they want to see around them," she said. Ljiljana Vujović from the association "Women of Bar with a Big Heart", which runs a soup kitchen in that city, and which helped the students in the action.

One day, Vujović said, when they finish school, when life takes each of them on their own path, they may forget the results of the games, but they will never forget the feeling that they changed someone's life. Nor will the families they helped ever forget "From Heart to Basket," she added, emphasizing that in a time when we often hear about divisions, selfishness, and indifference, high school students have shown that there is something stronger than all of that.

"You have shown that youth is not only in age, but in the willingness to lend a hand to those who need it most," she said, concluding that they proved that humanity lives in Bar.

The result of the humanitarian tournament organized by Bar high school students, with the great dedication of Professor Čarmak, resulted in the collection of 15.275 euros.

Spina bifida, which was diagnosed in boy Daris, is a neural tube defect in babies, where the spinal column does not close properly during early pregnancy, causing damage to the spinal cord and nerves.

Because of this, Daris has already had several different surgeries, spent three 21-day stays at the "Dr Simo Milošević" Institute in Igalo, and according to the latest medical records - this is the maximum he can achieve, although numerous doctors have determined that he will need physical therapy for many more years to have a chance to walk.

The tournament was played on the “Arena Court”, the field behind the Gymnasium, and this time, due to greater interest, it lasted for three days - June 5, 6 and 7, from 7 pm to midnight.

"This time we played with all our hearts for Daris. Daris is immobile and his further progress requires constant physical therapy, which his parents have to finance themselves, and they live with two other boys in difficult living conditions," the high school students said.

The registration fee for participation in the "three on three" tournament was 10 euros per person, and high school students were delighted this week with the news that a private clinic operating in Bar would cover the participation for all 51 teams in the tournament.

The same clinic allowed the Jakupi family to have their son undergo all necessary medical tests and analyses free of charge, for as long as he needed them.

The high school students organized the "Heart to the Basket" tournament last year, when they played for the boy Mehmet and managed to raise a significant amount of money needed for his treatments. This year, as they told the list, they learned about the case of little Daris and decided to play for him.

A special part of this year's tournament was an exhibition game with Paralympians from the state wheelchair basketball team who will "cross" their skills with high school students.