The Story of Mr. J.K.

For years, Mr. J.K. struggled with alcohol. His health was failing, his mental state was collapsing, and life itself seemed to be slipping away. At one point he made a brave choice: he checked into rehab. For the first time in a long while, it felt like he might actually have a fresh start.

But just as he began to feel more stable, everything changed. A routine test came back positive for marijuana. He swore he had never touched it. It didn’t matter - he was expelled from treatment immediately.

Suddenly, he was out on the street. No plan. No support. No roof over his head. Overwhelmed, he picked up the bottle again. He passed out outdoors one night, and when he woke up, everything was gone - his documents, his money, even his phone. His mind collapsed under the weight of it all. He hid in the woods, barely surviving, until he ended up in a psychiatric ward. A week later he was discharged, but he was left with nothing.

To rebuild, he needed the very basics: an ID, a phone, a little money. But there was a catch - he was Slovak. In the Czech Republic he wasn’t entitled to financial support, and the embassy couldn’t step in. A new ID card could only be issued in Slovakia. It cost 1,700 CZK and would take two months to process. Until then, he couldn’t work or even access his disability pension. Without a phone, he couldn’t apply for jobs or talk to authorities.

Shelters could offer him a bed and some food, but that wasn’t enough to climb out of the hole he was in.

That’s when financial donations made all the difference. With support, he got a train ticket to Slovakia, 45 euros for the new ID, and a phone. Within weeks, he was able to take real steps toward getting his life back on track. Without that help, he would have fallen deeper into despair - with no chance of a new beginning.