Help kids breathe!

On this photo you can see the 5-year-old Dasha, 3-year-old Pelagia, the 6-year-old Margarita, and 8-year-old Alice. One thing these children have in common is their joie de vivre, despite the fact that their life is a constant struggle. They have a serious genetic illness – cystic fibrosis. This illness damages all mucus-producing organs. At this time, this illness is incurable. Fighting this illness requires a significant amount of money and an equally significant amount of effort – every day, not missing a single procedure, or a single dose of medication. And this is how these children live their entire lives.

In the CF "Happy Child" we have more children with cystic fibrosis than those you see in the photo – there are 26 only in the Zaporizhzhia Region. In addition, recently, our foundation started helping children from the adjacent region. As of today, our foundation helps a total of 40 children with CF. Depending on the age and severity of illness, the families which have a child with CF spend, on average, from 7 000 to 22 000 UAH on medications every month. Therefore, the question of how a child in a family with average income can survive, remains open.

Cystic fibrosis is a serious genetic illness. It specifically targets the lungs and the gastrointestinal tract. As the doctors put it, the person who has CF lacks enzymes which thin the mucus. Because of a large amount of phlegm (mucus) accumulating in the lungs, various harmful bacteria flourish there. As a result, these children frequently run fevers and have a constant cough and shortness of breath. Over time, these problems lead to heart and liver damage.

"A couple times, when Alice went into crisis, and she was convulsing and choking, my fingers went icy, but my heart was burning. This burning was a clear indication that I won't let go of my child. And death retreated, leaving Alice alive. For a child living with CF in Ukraine, in a family where only the father is working, staying alive is very expensive.

We keep in touch with other patients with CF. We know that here, in the Zaporozhye Region, one young CF patient gave birth to healthy babies. Medical research is always ongoing. And we try to remain as optimistic as possible. In Europe, people with this diagnosis can live up for up to 45 years. Perhaps with time, here in Ukraine, we will also have this opportunity. Give us the gift of life!" Alice's mother appeals to us.

This family, and all the other families, who are bringing up children diagnosed with CF, greatly need our help. They are incredibly strong and loving parents, but they simply cannot handle this trouble only by themselves.

Kreon, Ursofalk, Berodwall, ACC– these are not only familiar names to children with CF; those are the medications without which they cannot survive. 70 090 UAH will supply those medications for 20 children for an entire two-month period of their lives. Our foundation provides, and will continue to provide, assistance to children with this diagnosis. With the help of the Ukrainian Office of Charity, we have been able to collect enough funds to purchase the vitally important Pulmozyme for two of the children. We believe that the program which we've been running for 4 years already, will yield results and find more people and organizations willing to help these children in the fight for their lives.

We are all responsible for these children.

Their lives are in our hands!