When his parents learned of his illness, they abandoned the poor boy.
After hearing that he had hydrocephalus, his parents took him to a hospital in Ukraine. Dima was then transferred to a shelter for disabled children in Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine.
At the age of four, Dima could not walk or eat by himself. Because of her lack of growth at the time, the orphanage staff believed she was not developing properly.
Even though everyone hoped he would live long. Life at that time was considered a miracle for Dima and the orphanage staff.
As a result of the civil war in 2014, the children from Dima’s orphanage had to flee and seek refuge in much safer places. Due to shortages of food, water and medicine, the orphanage members expected Dima to be one of the casualties of the conflict. They even brought a priest to pray for him before he died.
Dima proved that he has the strength to fight, despite all the obstacles. Like the other children in the orphanage, Dima survived.
Finally, she meets the American family she previously adopted. Vermont couple Ernest and Ruth Chaves adopted seven children.
They fell in love with Dima and filled out all the necessary documents. Dima’s parents are now Chavez. Dima is now known as Zebadiya. Thanks to Chavez’s constant love and care, Zebadiah quickly learned to eat on her own and is now able to walk with the help of a walker.
Amazingly, he mastered all these skills in less than a year. Zebadia is not only fluent in English and Ukrainian, but also makes every effort to improve her mental and motor skills.
