Leading with love and faith, the story of Dr Mirjana Barjaktarevic

2024-03-08

Today we honor efforts strong women among us invest for the benefit of the whole community. Mission driven, selflessly pawing the way for those around them to thrive.  This is why we share the story of an exemplary woman we had the honor to collaborate with during the Covid 19 virus pandemic – Dr. Mirjana Barjaktarevic, a pediatric doctor in Velika Plana, Serbia. Mirjana is an inspiration to her community and patients, and strong support to patients’ parents.

“It is my job to heal the sick child, but if we want to see the holistic picture, those closest to the child can help him the most, so I feel it as my duty to be the link between the child and the parents, to help them help their child”, says Mirjana, stressing the fact that from the 6th week of intrauterine life, the fetus feels the pain, knowing only mother as surrounding.

Did you know that the estimated risk of contracting vaccine-associated paralytic polio in USA in 2023 is 1 in 2.6 million oral doses? However, the risk was not that low half a century ago in Yugoslavia…

Dr. Barjaktarevic herself faced life threatening conditions very early in life. She was only 8 months old when she was diagnosed with vaccine-associated paralytic polio. The condition was so severe, disease left her paralyzed from the neck down and doctors were not optimistic, but her parents wouldn’t give up. Her mother took the driving lessons and finally got her driver’s license after 10 unsuccessful exam trials, just so she could take Mirjana to rehabilitation therapies and to school every day.

“It took years for my recovery process to show results and it was very intense, I strongly believe my parents and I couldn’t have made it without the devotion of the medical staff. The first bond I formed was with Dr. Ksenija Stojanovic from the military medical Academy hospital in Belgrade, who encouraged and guided me and my parents for years. She was the reason why I wanted to become a doctor in the first place. For the first decade of my life, the hospital was a second home to me. Mum and I would spend weeks in rehabilitation center in Risan, Montenegro, and later I would be there alone, guided by another devoted doctor, Vaso Djukovic.” If there wasn’t for the doctor devotion, I would not be able to accept that part as normal, as healing, as a gift to my body and probably would have suffered more.”

Despite facing a challenging past, Dr. Mirjana’s resilient spirit and parents’ devotion allowed her to defy the odds and eventually learn to walk again, ride a four-wheel bicycle to school and even drive a car later in life. “At the age of 10, I rode a 4-wheel bicycle and when I was 16, I started taking driving lessons on a vehicle adapted for people with disabilities”, says Dr. Mirjana when asked how the parents supported the process of becoming independent. “Except from school or hospital, I didn’t know other environments. Yet, in those two surroundings, I felt accepted and just like any other child, growing up shoulder to shoulder with peers and 9 years younger sister without disabilities”, Dr. Mirjana remembers.

Driven by her desire to make a difference in the lives of children, Dr. Mirjana pursued a career in medicine: “It was only logical to me to go to medical studies after high school”, says Mirjana, “believing that if I understand it all, I would be able to help myself and others in similar situation”. Her decision to specialize in pediatrics was rational, although the responsibility is very high, she could see the results of her efforts fast, good or bad, feeling that she was making the difference.

She now passionately advocates for vaccinations to prevent diseases. “Science enabled progress for our civilization, but we must accept that even science operates with statistical errors. Vaccines save lives, there is no doubt about it, which is why I was so pleased to work on this project together with ASB, to help people understand how we can fight Covid19 pandemics, that we have the tool. Back in the past, my case was not alone, I acknowledge that, but on the other hand, countless lives were saved by the same vaccine that same year mine was almost taken.” As an advocate for vaccination, Dr. Mirjana holds regular educational sessions in her community to dispel myths and misconceptions about vaccinations. She openly shares her own story to emphasize the importance of vaccination in preventing diseases and protecting children’s health.

Mirjana got the chance to live her life actively, as the only consequence was that one leg was shorter than the other. This of course means that her entire body had to find another balance and she only knows the pains she suffers daily, but until the age of 53 she never even took the disability test, she studied and worked without using any benefits or relieves that person with disabilities could use. She did, however, undertake the test recently. “The results are just the numbers”, she says, but those numbers amplify the strength of her character even more – her body is diagnosed with 70% disability.

Dr. Mirjana firmly believes that a child’s well-being is closely tied to their family’s support and understanding. She makes it her mission to establish a genuine and trustworthy relationship with parents, welcoming open communication and addressing their concerns with empathy and expertise. Her experiences as a patient have given her a unique perspective, enabling her to connect deeply with her young patients and their families.

With her own experiences shaping her empathy and understanding, Dr. Mirjana aims to build a strong and trustworthy relationship with parents, providing them even with her private phone number, reassuring them that she is just a call away in emergencies. This personal touch not only alleviates parents’ anxieties but also fosters a stronger bond between her and the families she serves.