Don't walk past Artem

5-year-old Artem has already been through a lot in his life and now he needs help to make his and his mom's lives easier. The boy was born very weak, on the 3rd day of his life he suffered cranial and pulmonary hemorrhage, and for 3 months doctors in the regional ICU were bringing him back to life. The boy hasn't been able to resume his normal breathing, so they had to do a tracheostomy – an opening in his throat through which he breathes by means of a special tube. The same tube is used to clear mucus from Artem's body since he's not able to cough it up on his own – and this procedure requires not only a suction unit itself, but also a big stock of aspiration catheters that need to be replaced on a daily basis to prevent infections.

 The boy's feeding pattern is also unusual – a special formula tailored for his needs is gradually poured through a feeding tube. The formula takes into account all of the little boy's needs except the fact that its cost is not affordable for Artem's mother who herself has a serious chronic illness.

 We met the boy in September, when we gave him a pulse oximeter and an oxygen concentrator to help with his breathing. As we talked to the little boy's mother, we saw how hard it was for her.

 Likewise, a special lounge/bathing chair is not a luxury item, nor something to just make his mom's life a bit easier – both of Artem's hip joints are dislocated, which is very painful, so he needs special devices to position him properly in the bath tub to reduce pain, lest he cry, and it is not healthy to never bath him at all! A bathing chair would help solve this huge problem.

 We earnestly request your support for the family!