Struggle to breathe

Yaroslav is now 18 years old, a very dangerous age for young people with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. With every year of life, it becomes harder for a person to breathe because the heart and respiratory muscles weaken, and this period is a turning point when the use of breathing machines becomes mandatory. Therefore, the main goal for Yaroslav is to purchase a lung ventilator. Unfortunately, this device is very expensive, and the need for it is growing every day.

With the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Zarutsky family had to leave Kyiv for safer Poland, where Yaroslav entered the General Józef Bem Lyceum in Warsaw, studying architecture and computer graphics. He is also engaged in programming and dreams of becoming a professional in the IT field.

The disease has taken away his ability to walk, but Yaroslav doesn't give up, and his every day is accompanied by various exercises, stretches, verticalization, and visits to the pool. Yaroslav does his best and fights the disease every day.

At the same time, Yaroslav's family is doing everything possible to ensure that the boy receives medicine, namely the drug "Exondis 51", this is the world's first pathogenetic treatment for people with MMD, since 2016 the USA has been treated with this drug, but it is not yet registered in Ukraine.

Duchenne myopathy is a terrible disease that affects boys at an early age. Gradually, a person's muscles die, first the child loses the ability to run, jump, then walk, and then the disease affects the internal organs. But Yaroslav and his family believe in a bright future for the boy. He just needs our support to buy a lung ventilator.

Help Yaroslav in his fight for life!

UPD: the name and text of the project have been updated. Old project name: "I want to breathe!".