Michaela’s Prosthesis: Dream Achieved with Reader Support

Thanks to the report In the Shadows, Michaela Mičíková received enough money to fulfill her big Christmas wish – a new leg prosthesis. A woman who has been struggling with unbelievable health problems since she was eleven will have a carefree holiday.

It was money for a gift that probably no one wants to wish for.

Thirty-year-old Michael Mičíková, who had her right leg amputated above the knee when she was fifteen, will be most happy with a modern bionic prosthesis.

He will go to pick it up right after the New Year. The missing money was “made up” by donors who were touched by the story of an indomitable young woman from Vysočina. He faces his fate bravely, does not complain, works, tries to live normally.

“A healthy person probably cannot fully imagine how much the new leg will help me. This January, I had a kidney transplant, and the procedure and anesthesia made my stability even worse,” describes Michaela, who has gone through enormous health vicissitudes since childhood, including severe cancer and a heart transplant. Nevertheless, she tries to live an active life, works normally, pursues her hobbies, likes to travel.

Of course, Michaela has a prosthesis, but she longed for a different, slightly more sophisticated one. And the more modern bionic joint, which is also waterproof, can make life significantly easier during many activities. “He can recognize a person’s style, he adapts to it much better, he can swing his leg when walking up the stairs, it’s just too much,” the young woman calculates. In addition to the advantages, the smart joint also has one significant disadvantage: it costs more than one and a half million crowns and is not covered by the health insurance company.

When Michaela and her family put together all the savings and contributions from various foundations, there was still about six hundred thousand missing. Colleagues and friends started a fundraiser for Michaela on the znesnaze21.cz portal. A few donors were found, but the collected amount froze at about one hundred thousand.

At that moment, Martin Junek approached the program Ve stínu.

Thanks to his initiative, we published the story of brave Michaela at the beginning of December and added a link to the collection. The figure began to grow rapidly. More than five hundred people supported the young woman. Someone sent a few crowns, someone several tens of thousands.

“I didn’t want to believe it, I’m completely excited and thank all the contributors very much, I didn’t expect such a response at all. That the collection will eventually cover my leg and rehabilitation is amazing,” Michaela told all the donors.

Already in January, the woman will be able to pick up a new prosthesis without the need to pay for it through an installment plan, which was an emergency option for her, because, as she admits, she lives paycheck to paycheck.

Thanks to donors and another contribution from the foundation, which came only after the filming of the show In the Shadows, we even managed to raise a few thousand more. Michaela will use this money to buy a charger for the prosthesis for the car and rehabilitation, which are still a major financial burden to her today.

“You are an example to all of us that fighting for a better life is always worth it.”

“Michael, I was deeply touched by your story. I wish you good health and strength.”

“Misha, what you’ve done is an incredible charge for one person.”

In addition to money, people sent personal messages on the donor portal. Of course, Michaela read them all. “My mom even cut some of them,” she revealed. The encouraging words made Michaela very happy. “Some people also contacted me by phone or on Facebook. One lady, for example, offered me accommodation in her boarding house in Český Krumlov, it’s beautiful,” Michaela commented on one of the phone calls. Several times people on the street or customers at work expressed their admiration for her.

Michaela’s friend Martin Junek is also enthusiastic about the success of the collection.

“It made me very happy. I was really nervous about it, but it turned out fantastic, I’ll have a nicer Christmas because of it,” he rejoiced.

Michaela can also enjoy a calm and carefree holiday. On January 12, she will be traveling to a prosthetist in Pilsen, where a new joint will be waiting for her and where she will undergo a full day of training to know how to handle the new, smarter device.