Habitat for Humanity offers Christmas miracle for family

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Posted with permission from the Hamilton Spectator

Dec 18, 2015

Hamilton Spectator
By Carmela Fragomeni


'Home for Christmas' has a special meaning for the Arezina family of eight this year.

The family is going from living in a two-bedroom Stoney Creek apartment to a new six-bedroom house on Knapmans Drive off Beach Boulevard in Hamilton, thanks to Habitat for Humanity and Hamilton Women in Law volunteers.

The Arezinas received the keys Friday.

Dragisa and his wife Katja have lived in the two-bedroom since arriving in Canada with their oldest child Marko as refugees in 1997 from war-torn Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The family has since grown to six children, now ranging in ages from 16 to 24, with two sets of twins. The youngest, twin sons Toma and Matija, are disabled and confined to wheelchairs. Physicians at McMaster Children's Hospital have diagnosed them with global development delay, a description that describes a child's failure to develop normally.

Not only does the new house give the siblings their own rooms, it is completely accessible for the disabled twins.

"What makes our day is the accessibility," says dad Dragisa. "And the design that everything is adjusted to the needs of those two kids…they are getting older. They are getting bigger."

He said it is truly delightful to have a home now. "We are very excited about it."

Dragisa, a former software engineer who works as a school bus driver to give him flexibility to help care for their disabled sons, says the couple had envisioned a very different life when arriving in Canada.

"Fifteen years ago, our first priority was to move to a bigger place," he says. But their lives took an abrupt turn when "we realized our youngest were sick and they needed to become the priority."

Dragisa said the limited apartment space was a problem, but finding an accessible residence was akin to "science fiction" until they discovered Habitat for Humanity.

An overwhelmed Katja said "I feel numb. I'm happy. I don't know what to say."

The lift and special bathroom for Toma and Matija will make life much easier, she said.

The couple's only daughter Ana, 18, said "I'm happy I'm getting my own room."

Until now, she's had to share a bedroom with three brothers, but says she grew up that way and doesn't know any different.

Brother Marko, 24, a McMaster University mechanical engineering student, said "I'm happy for my parents because it'll be easier for them to deal with my brothers".

Remarkably, all four oldest Arezina siblings are students at Mac. Ana is in first year engineering. Her twin Filip is studying kinesiology, and brother Pavle is in second year software engineering.

About 150 people and officials gathered at the house Friday to welcome the Arezinas to their new two-storey simply-designed home.

"We couldn't be happier than to have them in the home for the holidays," said Habitat Hamilton's Sean Ferris.

Mayor Fred Eisenberger called the house "a testament to the compassion of the people of Hamilton".

Hamilton Women in Law chair Myra James said "It warms our hearts to officially dedicate the keys to the Arezina family.

Dragisa told them the house's accessibility is "a real game changer".

He expects the family to be in by New Year's Day.

The non-profit Habitat for Humanity uses volunteers and donations to build affordable housing. Chosen families contribute 500 hours to help construction, and buy the house through a no-interest mortgage.



cfragomeni@thespec.com

905-526-3392 | @CarmatTheSpec
http://www.thespec.com/news-story/6200962-habitat-for-humanity-offers-christmas-miracle-for-family/
 
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