Memories of Lednice

Despite the lower attendance, the stay was a success, including the weather, which subsequently turned autumnal. More information about the rehabilitation stay can be found in the contribution from one of the participants below.

For next year, we have already reserved the same venue for the period from 16 to 24 May, and we hope for a greater number of participants.

We thank everyone who contributed to the smooth running of the stay and look forward to the next gathering.

On behalf of CSH, Michal Skořepa

I participated in the rehabilitation stay for adults for the third time. My first experience with it was exactly three years ago, when it moved to the picturesque setting of the South Moravian village of Lednice. And I have no doubt that I will go again next year. Why?

First and foremost, because of the excellent company that gathers at these stays each year, with minor or major changes. Every day and especially every evening is thus marked above all by conversations with people of the most varied professions and fates, who are nevertheless connected by something. To help break any remaining barriers more quickly, this year was no exception thanks to the Bohůn family winery. A couple of bottles of their wine, which gets better year after year, loosened everyone's tongue.

Almost every day was enriched by some additional activity. For example, we took a tour of the chateau in Mikulov. Since it is the workplace of one of the stay's participants, we had the most knowledgeable guide possible, for which we thank Milan. The stay has also traditionally been marked by culinary experiences, provided not only by the lunches at the U Tlustých restaurant, whose cuisine was praised even by Zdeněk Pohlreich. One evening we spent barbecuing, another preparing the obligatory steak tartare. And to burn off the energy gained, sporting activities were also on the agenda. These included the traditional team bowling tournament, as well as a trip to the thermal baths in the nearby Austrian town of Laa an der Thaya.

The core of the rehabilitation stay is, of course, the rehabilitation activities. Every day we all happily submitted to the skilled hands of the excellent physiotherapists Naďa and Alenka. They deserve enormous thanks. We also attended daily baths and treatments at the nearby spa, which were praised even by regular visitors to more renowned spa houses, such as the one in Klimkovice. Several visits to the swimming pool also helped to loosen up our stiff joints.

This year, we also had an expert educational programme, with a lecture by MUDr. Jan Blatný from the Brno University Hospital, who has been professionally dedicated to haemophilia for many years. He is, among other things, the guarantor of the Czech National Haemophilia Programme, whose results he presented to us. Perhaps the greatest interest among listeners was sparked by the discussion on prophylaxis, which, thanks in part to the results of the aforementioned programme, is available to an ever-expanding circle of patients. Hope was also raised by a mention of ongoing clinical trials of concentrates with extended half-life.

The village of Lednice and its surroundings are reason enough to visit in themselves. The beautiful chateau with its expansive park and the unique architectural monuments within the entire Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape simply do not grow tiresome even after several visits.

I am already looking forward to the next edition and would be delighted if the ranks of participants are once again expanded by new faces. They will certainly not regret it. In conclusion, I would like to thank Michal Skořepa for organising the entire event and ensuring its smooth running.

Martin Žídek

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