Support Dasha's Quest for a CF Vest
Donation protected
We are here to tell you the story about a remarkable little girl in Ukraine, who is in need of our help. Our niece Dasha, is a spunky, talented, wise-beyond-her years ten year old. At a young age, Dasha was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, which is a genetic disease that results in the gradual fading of the functions of the lungs, pancreas, and digestive system. This disease affects approximately 800 children in Ukraine, mostly girls. As of yet, there is no cure. You would never know looking at Dasha that she is going through a difficult disease, as she has the most positive outlook on life. She is the type of girl that will make toasts at her own birthday party wishing for everyone else's health and happiness. We are enlisting support for Dasha to help better and ultimately prolong her life.
Due to substandard medical care in Ukraine, only 1 in 10 children with this diagnosis will live up to 18 years old. While in North America, and other countries in Europe, the average life span is 43-50 years. This gap is a scary one to consider, and one which we are trying to lessen with your help.
Because of the recent conflict and corruption in Ukraine, the government has decreased funding for medical expenses. As an example, Dasha requires 30 cases of medication per month, which used to be covered. Since September, they were only receiving coverage for 2 cases out of 30. As of January, funding has been completely cut for this medication. Dasha also requires treatments at a specialized hospital in Lviv 3 times a year, which comes at a cost of $6000.00, which is not covered by insurance. Her weekly medication costs average at $200.00 per week, which again, isn’t being supported by the current political events occurring in Ukraine. Cystic Fibrosis is an expensive disease to have wherever you are in the world, however living in Ukraine makes her scenario all the more challenging.
Dasha's mother Yulia is a figher. She not only advocates for her daughter Dasha, but for all of the other children in Ukraine living with CF. She is the president of the CF organization, pushing for better quality medication. Taking care of Dasha, along with spreading the word through her organization has been her full time job. She is a single mother, trying the best to prolong and better her daughter's life. A line that has stuck with us was when she said, "It's hard to look at a girl with an expiry date." This shook us to ourcore, and has been the motivating mantra to see out as much support as we can.
Our goal is to raise some funds to help support these medication costs that Dasha's family is currently facing. In the spirit of optimism, we also have an ultimate goal of getting Dasha a CF vest similar to this one:
http://www.thevest.com/products/
This CF vest is designed to break up mucus, while creating “mini coughs” to help clear the lungs. This vest has proven to be much more effective than the conventional chest physiotherapy, and helps maintain and improve her pulmonary functions. The cost of these vests are approximately $20,000 on average, which is certainly a daunting amount. However, we are hopeful that with your help, we can start by making small steps in order to make life easier for Dasha.
We truly appreciate you taking the time to read Dasha’s story, and know that any contribution made will go a long way.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
Due to substandard medical care in Ukraine, only 1 in 10 children with this diagnosis will live up to 18 years old. While in North America, and other countries in Europe, the average life span is 43-50 years. This gap is a scary one to consider, and one which we are trying to lessen with your help.
Because of the recent conflict and corruption in Ukraine, the government has decreased funding for medical expenses. As an example, Dasha requires 30 cases of medication per month, which used to be covered. Since September, they were only receiving coverage for 2 cases out of 30. As of January, funding has been completely cut for this medication. Dasha also requires treatments at a specialized hospital in Lviv 3 times a year, which comes at a cost of $6000.00, which is not covered by insurance. Her weekly medication costs average at $200.00 per week, which again, isn’t being supported by the current political events occurring in Ukraine. Cystic Fibrosis is an expensive disease to have wherever you are in the world, however living in Ukraine makes her scenario all the more challenging.
Dasha's mother Yulia is a figher. She not only advocates for her daughter Dasha, but for all of the other children in Ukraine living with CF. She is the president of the CF organization, pushing for better quality medication. Taking care of Dasha, along with spreading the word through her organization has been her full time job. She is a single mother, trying the best to prolong and better her daughter's life. A line that has stuck with us was when she said, "It's hard to look at a girl with an expiry date." This shook us to ourcore, and has been the motivating mantra to see out as much support as we can.
Our goal is to raise some funds to help support these medication costs that Dasha's family is currently facing. In the spirit of optimism, we also have an ultimate goal of getting Dasha a CF vest similar to this one:
http://www.thevest.com/products/
This CF vest is designed to break up mucus, while creating “mini coughs” to help clear the lungs. This vest has proven to be much more effective than the conventional chest physiotherapy, and helps maintain and improve her pulmonary functions. The cost of these vests are approximately $20,000 on average, which is certainly a daunting amount. However, we are hopeful that with your help, we can start by making small steps in order to make life easier for Dasha.
We truly appreciate you taking the time to read Dasha’s story, and know that any contribution made will go a long way.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
Organizer
Mykola Yevtushenko
Organizer
Winnipeg, MB