When his parents found out about his disease, they gave up on the poor youngster and left him.
After learning that he suffered from hydrocephalus, his parents brought him to a hospital in Ukraine and left him there.
After that, Dima was given up to the care of a handicapped children’s orphanage in Kramatorsk, which is located in Eastern Ukraine.
When Dima was four years old, he neither walked nor ate on his own independently. The professionals at the orphanage had the impression that he would not develop appropriately due to the fact that he was not making any progress in terms of his growth at the time.
Dima demonstrated, despite the many challenges he faced, that he possesses the strength to win the fight. Dima, along with the other children at the orphanage, eventually made it through their ordeal alive.
Eventually, he came into contact with an American family that had previously adopted children. Ernest and Ruth Chaves, a couple from Vermont, had already given their home to seven adopted children.
They completed all of the necessary paperwork after falling in love with Dima and deciding to marry him.
The Chaves family has evolved to include Dima’s parents. The name Zebadiah has become an endearing nickname for Dima.
Because of the unrelenting love and care provided by the Chaves, Zebadiah soon picked up the ability to feed himself independently and can now walk with the use of a walker. It is incredible how quickly he was able to become proficient in each of these areas of expertise.
Not only is Zebadiah completely proficient in English and Ukrainian, but he is also completely committed to continuously improving his mental and motor skills by challenging himself.
