When the disease is with you forever

Zlata is an extremely brave girl who has been fighting a daily battle with type I diabetes for more than five years. She had to fight her first battle at the tender age of seven. One day, an active, inquisitive child who attended many extracurricular activities and loved learning English, suddenly had no energy for anything. Zlata's life was taken over by alarming symptoms: sudden weight loss, acetone smell, calf muscle cramps, frequent urination and, most depressingly, overwhelming fatigue. But no doctor at the village or even regional hospitals noticed any alarm bells - the tests were good, they said, so the child was healthy. It was only when she took matters into her own hands and came across information online about the first signs of diabetes that her mother decided to check Zlata's blood sugar.

That fateful day looked completely different in the girl's imagination – it was Valentine's Day. In the evening, she prepared a lot of valentines and dreamed of giving them to her friends. However, this dream was the first of many that the disease unceremoniously snatched from her hands. Instead of a celebration at school, Zlata found herself in an ambulance that took her to the regional hospital in intensive care.

Over the course of five years, the insidious disease had spread its claws into all the girl's body systems: Zlata had to have her adenoids and tonsils removed, she was diagnosed with connective tissue dysplasia, postural disorders with pelvic tilt, and flat-valgus feet. To eliminate all these ailments, she needed a lot of money for vitamins and medicines, orthopedic insoles, and a corrective corset. Diabetes has made Zlata become more responsible than many adults: she has to constantly measure her blood sugar, take insulin injections, and count carbohydrates in every meal. It's incredibly tiring, but the girl doesn't give up – Zlata dreams of becoming a doctor in the future, so that she can diagnose people in time and choose the right treatment for them, so that no one else will suffer from unfortunate cases.

The constant costs of test strips, glucometers, continuous blood sugar monitoring sensors and special food are a crushing blow to the family's budget. Taking care of Zlata and her younger brother, her mother is unable to work, so the family lives on her father's minimum wage. We urge all concerned people to provide financial assistance for the purchase of sensors. Every hryvnia you give us means a chance for Zlata's stable condition, less pain and a better quality of life. Don't let the disease take over the girl's most important dream – to live a long, colorful and fulfilling life!