Dasha needs an insulin and glucose level pump

Can you help Dasha lead a more normal and fun life?

Dasha is a 10 year old girl who fled Ukraine in February 2022 when Russia invaded. Her parents travelled for 5 days and nights in their car with her mum and dad and 2 cats, when the shelling started near where they lived.

Their home and everything they owned are gone. She had to leave her friends and her parents, their jobs.

Dasha has type 1 diabetes and has to check with constant finger pricks, her sugar levels and then inject herself.

The following was written by Dasha’s parents…..

Dasha was born a healthy and strong child. She grew and made us happy. She went to kindergarten and after a while to first grade. Everything was fine.

We began to visit the doctor very often because she very often began to get sick with respiratory diseases, tests were taken regularly. And then yet another cold. Then Dasha became very ill, constantly wanting to sleep, drinking a lot of fluids and also eating a lot.

We visited the family doctor and she caught the smell of acetone from Dasha. The next day she had numerous tests and before we could got home, the doctor asked us to return to the clinic. The blood sugar level was 12, plus a severe form of ketoacidosis. Dasha needed to be hospitalized very urgently. The ground was slipping away from under our feet. There was a terrible panic and horror.

In the hospital, Dasha was immediately placed on a drip and insulin was administered. There was no way back now – she had severe type 1 diabetes. This was in October 2020.

Here life now is constantly pricked fingers and at least four injections of insulin a day. We also need to measure the sugar level at night and often waking her for an injection.

It became impossible for us to work, because we constantly have to be close to Dasha. Currently, she has begun age-related hormonal changes and the sugar level can range from 1.8 to 27 (these are critical levels). The injections of insulin with a syringe do not allow her to choose the correct dosage. Either too much - and then we are forced to compensate for the low level of sugar with food, or not enough - then we need to repeat the injections. We are very worried about this, as my husband's grandmother had diabetes and died from this disease. Dasha is still a child, she still does not understand the seriousness of this disease, she has a lot of restrictions on food and physical activity.

Please help us raise the money for Dasha to have an insulin pump which combined with a continuous glucose monitor, will change both her life and ours. It would mean the world to us, to have Dasha be able to play, do sports and to not have to wake her every night for tests and injections. The pump and monitor will deliver exact doses automatically at the right time.

We have tried all we can in Slovakia (our new homeland) to get this for her, but as we are classed as refugees, they unfortunately cannot fund this, so we are asking for your help.

The funds will be used to buy a pump and glucose monitor and supplies for the first year.