Although Filip was actually born on the twenty-first, his official birth date is recorded as the twenty-second. Shortly after birth he needed resuscitation, and doctors managed to revive him only twenty minutes past midnight.

If you saw him today — confidently standing on a paddleboard, playing bocce, or battling through a game of Ludo — you’d hardly imagine the fierce fight for life he endured in his first days. He was born with a severe heart defect. For a month and a half he lay in an incubator instead of in his mother’s arms, receiving oxygen. His parents weren’t allowed to touch him — but Filip’s mother, Polonca, couldn’t bear that. With the help of one of the nurses, she stroked him in secret. After a few days, doctors gave Filip his diagnosis: Down syndrome.

Instead of heading to university or work, Filip attends a vocational and occupational centre. He usually returns home around noon, and then he and Polonca take care of household tasks together. He unloads the dishwasher, makes the bed, sweeps the floor, hangs the laundry. When his father gets home from work, they go for an afternoon walk; they average around ten thousand steps a day. When the weather is warm, they often go cycling — his parents, Filip, and his younger sister, Nina.

Filip also trained in swimming, belongs to a bocce club, and plays table tennis in the basement at home. But more than sports, he loves board games. Those are his favourite — and when it’s time for board games, the whole family gathers.