Kirka’s Story

When she was born, the room fell silent. The doctors looked at one another - they knew this was an exceptionally serious case. Kirka had come into the world with a cleft in her trachea, larynx, and esophagus. Her airway and digestive tract were damaged. In the Czech Republic, only a handful of children are born with such a condition, and there wasn’t enough medical experience here to give her a real chance. The only option: London.

So Kirka became a traveler before she even knew what kindergarten was. Instead of playgrounds, she grew up under surgical lights. In London, she underwent operation after operation. Each surgery was a risk. Each day between them was a fight for the most basic things - breathing and swallowing - things other children do without a thought.

And yet Kirka never lost her determination to speak to the world. First she signed, then, with enormous effort, she began to pronounce her first words. Each one was a small miracle. Then came her new “voice” - an iPad with the special app Grid for iPad. Through pictures and letters, she could finally form sentences that the device read aloud. For the first time, she could say exactly what she wanted. And the world heard her.

Her journey is still long and uncertain. To one day breathe and eat completely on her own, and maybe even sing with her own voice, she will need more complex surgeries. But Kirka doesn’t give up. With a child’s smile and the courage of a whole regiment of adults, she walks into every new challenge.

Meet her once, and you’ll understand: in the smallest of bodies, there can be strength bigger than mountains.