Give Andrii strength to move

Andrii’s smile is a true miracle. Three years ago we were afraid for his life – the boy’s weight had dropped so low. The fact that Andrii can now laugh, watch cartoons, sit with support is an immense joy for his mother and for everyone who supports him.

Fourteen years ago, Andrii suffered oxygen deprivation during birth. However, during the first two years of his life he developed actively. It seemed that the danger was behind them.

Then suddenly Andrii began dragging his left leg. Later spasticity appeared. The little boy could no longer walk and stopped speaking.

Hospitals and laboratories replaced one another, and no one could explain to the mother what was happening to her son. But she never stopped searching for opportunities for diagnosis and treatment.

In 2019, at the Romodanov Institute of Neurosurgery, Andrii finally received a diagnosis: the rare Hallervorden–Spatz disease. This is a metabolic disorder in which iron accumulates in brain cells and damages them. It affects both physical and mental development.

In this situation, treatment means helping Andrii avoid pain from spasticity and ensuring he receives proper nutrition. And nutrition was the most serious problem.

His body absorbs food very poorly. In 2023, the team of the Pomogaem Charity Foundation saw Andrii in his mother’s arms at the office doorstep: his weight was critically low, and he literally needed urgent help.

Doctors recommended increasing the use of Resource Junior nutritional formula even more often. Now Andrii needs 48 cans per month — only with this nutrition does he have enough strength to move.

Three years ago, Andrii could only slightly lift his pelvis when his mother changed his clothes. Now he turns over in bed, uses his hands, can sit with support for a short time (although he cannot hold his head independently), stand briefly with assistance, and follow simple requests.

And what lifts his mother’s spirits the most is when Andrii smiles at her, laughs while watching cartoons, and emotionally responds to music.

Andrii’s mother takes care of her son full-time and cannot work; his father is not involved in his life. We want to provide four months of full nutrition for Andrii. Let’s help him not suffer, but enjoy life.