"If my illness were a color, it would definitely be red." The story of Mitrică family

"If my illness were a color, it would definitely be red. Because when I'm tired, the blood pressure monitor beeps like it's about to explode."

That's what 7-year-old Patrick told me at camp, without missing a beat.

When Patrick was just 5 days old, a routine hospital check turned into something far bigger. The doctor heard a small murmur in his heart. His parents, Enikő and Tóni, were ready to finally take their baby home.

"This child can't go home," the doctor said after the echo. Coarctation of aorta. He needed heart surgery, urgently.

"I felt the ground disappear beneath my feet. I didn't even know what to hold on to," Enikő remembers.

The surgery was postponed three times. At 5 weeks old, Patrick's tiny heart was finally operated on.

"It was a very hard time. I couldn't even hold him in my arms. But we're so grateful that he's doing well now," says Tóni.

"Patrick gave me so much strength. I watched what a fighter he is, how he fights for his life. I tried to stay positive so he could feel it too. In the first days in intensive care, I'd walk in telling myself: okay, be happy, be positive. But when I walked out, my heart and soul were broken."

Patrick's surgery left him with high blood pressure. It spikes when he's tired. When he's sad. Headaches, exhaustion, low energy: all part of his everyday life.

"Patrick had never been to any other camp, and he couldn't go alone. We always have to watch how much strain he can handle. At home I'm with him 24/7, even at night. That's why it means so much to see him here, so much more relaxed than at home. There are moments when he joins activities on his own, and we get to breathe a little too."

Since 2025, Yuppi Camp welcomes children living with congenital heart conditions. Patrick, whose heart nearly stopped when he was only a week old, now plays tag and makes friends.

Today is World Heart Day, and we're celebrating Patrick and every child and family walking this road.

Sending you all strength and lots of love!