Meet Dzeni and Kathy

My wife and I have been talking for quite a while about writing a book together, but the conversations really started a bit more seriously about 6 months ago. We had initially discussed writing about my journey from Sarajevo to the United States, the story of how we met in Washington, D.C., and then some of our thoughts about life as we’ve focused on trying to stay out of the “rat race” and enjoy family and friends and life itself.

Then in September 2010, I had a stroke while traveling to visit my family in Bosnia – it happened on the way over and by the time I arrived in Venice, where I was to meet a friend, I wasn’t able to move my right arm or leg to get off of the plane or speak to tell the stewardess why I wasn’t getting up.

Though our life has shifted, and we go through challenges every day, we are so grateful for what we have together, and we hope that some of the stories shared in the book will spur others to share their stories of courage and determination!

Dzeni Hadzibajric was born and raised in Sarajevo, Bosnia and arrived in Washington, D.C. in 1996, coming through the US Refugee Resettlement Program when his country was at war. He spent two years living and working in Baltimore, Maryland, where he also studied English, before he married Kathy. Kathy spent most of her life in Maryland and was working in refugee resettlement when Dzeni arrived in the country. They were married in 1998, and moved to Tampa, Florida a few years later where they both started their own businesses and fell in love with the sea, sun, and sand!

Dzeni and Kathy are passionate about travel, culture, and music and live the philosophy that exploration and learning can happen in many ways, with each day bringing new opportunities to each of us. They believe strongly that we need to take each day as it unfolds, and they look forward to learning through every experience and interaction that comes their way. It’s this philosophy that has helped them during the challenging times to look forward and to take hold of each moment.