Diabetes won't take away a boy's dream

Five-year-old Kyrylo is a bright and talented boy. He loves drawing, playing chess, building LEGO, and kicking a ball around. He dreams of becoming a footballer. And also of doctors around the world finally finding a cure for diabetes. He is an ordinary-looking boy at first glance, with big dreams and the strength of an adult within him. But for a year now, his life has been a daily struggle.

At the age of 4, Kyrylo was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. It all began suddenly. Intense thirst, frequent urination, rapid weight loss. When the child became very unwell, his mother urgently took him to hospital. His blood sugar level was 28 – critical. Kyrylo was admitted to intensive care. That was when his life changed, and the diagnosis sounded like a verdict – ketoacidosis and lifelong insulin dependence.

The first months were extraordinarily difficult. Kyrylo's fingers were pricked 10–15 times a day, glucose levels were measured with a glucometer constantly – both day and night. Insulin was administered with injection pens. Frequent hypoglycemic episodes exhausted both the child and his mother. In time a continuous glucose monitoring sensor appeared, and this brought some relief – but not a solution to the problem.

Life with diabetes means constant costs. Everything needed to maintain the child's stable condition is very expensive. Today Kyrylo has already grown accustomed to injections and checks. For him it is daily routine. He attends kindergarten until lunchtime, without eating there, as his mother independently monitors every meal and every number on the sensor screen. His mother does not work – she is by her son's side 24/7, because diabetes has no days off and does not forgive mistakes.

Kyrylo needs sensors now. Every donation is a peaceful night without fear of hypoglycemia. Every contribution is a step toward a stable life for a little boy who simply wants to run across a field with a ball and dream of a great future.