We want to be together

"Andriusha, I love you...", Andrii's father, whose name is Andrii too, wants so much to hear his son answer him. And to be able to speak and hear these simple words for a long time to come. For Andrii Jr., (or Andriusha, as his family affectionately calls him), to be able to live at home, we need to try to provide the few essential things he requires. It's just a few things, but they are essential: an oxygen concentrator, and the disposable tubings and filters for it, a blood pressure cuff for frequent blood pressure checks, filters, and antiseptics. Without these things, Andrii can't really manage at home. If he doesn't have these things, he'd have to go back to the intensive care unit at the hospital.

"We are always together" – is probably the main motto of the Molchanyuk family. "We go through difficult times together, we are together when things are bad, we celebrate victories together, too. And at this time, all of us together ask you for help for Andriusha and our family. It is very difficult to decide to ask for help, but sometimes, circumstances turn out in such a way that one cannot manage without others' help. Help in our case would mean life for Andryusha," his father Andrii tells us their sad story.

The problems began quite a while ago. They began when Andrii was diagnosed with mucopolysaccharidosis. It is a fairly rare genetic disorder which is not curable. One can treat the symptoms, but not cure the illness. In 2014, Andrii's life split into two halves, one before his stay in the intensive care unit, and one after. Andryusha is strong, he succeeded in recovering from sepsis and getting out of intensive care, but he was no longer able to walk independently and had to start using a wheelchair. His parents tried to make his son's life as enjoyable as they could, they traveled and even went to the seaside. His father carried Andrew into the water, so he could swim. That was a brief happy time for their family.

In 2017, however, his parents once again began to notice a worsening of their son's condition. And again, near the end of 2017, Andrew ended up in intensive care. Fear, cardiac arrest, resulting coma...A constant search for medications, necessary medical supplies, and money. Hope and fear for their son. And another hard blow--the father Andrew, the breadwinner of the family, has lost his job. All of us together will be able to support both Andryusha and his parents. They simply cannot give up.

Name: Molchaniuk Andrii, 04.10.2001

City: Kiev

Diagnosis: mucopolysaccharidosis (type 3)