Dima’s life took a sad turn when he was just four years old. When his parents discovered he had hydrocephalus, a condition in which fluid builds up in the brain, they left him at a hospital in Ukraine.
Because of the severity of his illness, he could not eat or walk independently, and the hospital staff anticipated that he would require specialized care.
In Eastern Ukraine’s Kramatorsk, an orphanage for underprivileged children saved Dima. The staff was afraid that his condition would prevent him from maturing correctly. However, his lack of growth at an early age provided a new issue.
Despite these concerns, Dima outperformed everyone’s expectations. He is still alive and well now, which is a beautiful miracle.
He has matured into an educated and caring individual that his caregivers and peers adore. While his early years were difficult, Dima’s tenacity and the affection he has experienced throughout his life have been essential to his achievement.
The disruption in the region led the children of Dima’s orphanage to evacuate in search of a haven in 2014. During the tumultuous times, the orphanage’s inmates had little hope of survival.
They expected Dima to be one of the victims due to a lack of essentials such as food, water, and medicine. They invited a priest to pray for him before he passed away.
On the other hand, Dima showed a lot of patience and persistence, even though the odds were against him. He exhibited his strength and determination in the face of adversity.
With the help of fate, he soon found himself in the hands of an American family. Ernest and Ruth Chaves of Vermont had already adopted and cared for seven children when they brought Dima into their loving home.
After completing the appropriate paperwork, the Chaves fell in love with young Dima and chose to adopt him. After the legal process was completed, Dima officially became a member of the Chaves family, and he now goes by the name Zebadiah.
Despite his challenging background, Zebadiah was driven to learn and improve, soon mastering basic life skills like feeding himself and moving around using a walker. With the Chaves’ continual care and compassion, he could attain these milestones in less than a year.
Zebadiah wants to improve not only his physical skills but also his mental and motor skills. He also wants to become fluent in both English and Ukrainian. Zebadiah can be confident that with the Chaves by his side, he will always have the support and direction to fulfill his best potential.
