Fight diabetes

In the fall of 2023, Hleb was admitted to intensive care, where he was diagnosed with diabetes. Now his life is under threat: diabetes can irreversibly affect the functioning of the heart and blood vessels, liver, kidneys, and organs of vision. His parents have to prick his fingers every hour to check his glucose levels and inject insulin 4 times a day. In order for In order for Hleb to suffer less from pain and to reduce the threat to his health to a minimum, it is necessary to find at least a small amount that the family does not have.

Hleb was born a month before the full-scale invasion. For a year and a half, the baby grew and developed safely. And on September 12, 2023, Olesia smelled acetone from her son’s mouth. The test showed high levels of ketones in the urine.

Son’s health continued to deteriorate: weakness, severe thirst, frequent urination. Mom measured her glucose and was horrified – 14 mmol/l when the norm was up to 5. At the regional children's hospital, they measured "sugar" again. The result is 28 mmol/l! Hleb was urgently admitted to intensive care.

Injections and drips did not help until the insulin drugs Tresiba and NovoRapid were added. Blood glucose was measured every hour. With every insulin injection and finger prick, the mother’s heart cried along with her son.

After Olesia with Hleb were discharged, studying information about this disease, she learned about sensors that do not require drawing blood from a finger. This device automatically measures your sugar every 5 minutes, and the result is displayed on your phone. The second remarkable invention of modern medicine is a pump that independently injects insulin into the blood.

In small children glucose fluctuates greatly during the day, which is why blood measurements have to be taken so often. Each "spike" in glucose carries a serious risk to vital organs. Olesia keeps a food diary to figure out which food influenced the rise in glucose levels.

Most likely, the disease was provoked by severe stress from daily shell explosions near the house. At the beginning of a full-scale war, parents with two children lived in the basement. The family went to Svaliava for 5 months, but returned in November. Marhanets continues to be shelled.

Before his illness, Hleb was a calm child. Now he is irritable and touchy. According to the endocrinologist, the emotional state is normalizing along with the stabilization of glucose levels. Sensors and a pump with consumables will help him keep the glucose under control.

The cost of a pump with reservoirs and infusion sets for six months is UAH 106,358. Sensors for the same period cost another UAH 27,000. In six months, they will have to buy consumables again, but the pump, the most expensive device, will be used for a long time. Let's help the baby live without pain and minimize the risk to life and health!