Give Arsenii his childhood back

Just this January, Arsenii was going to school and building worlds in Minecraft. Then everything changed: seizures, loss of speech, and uncertainty. Despite alarming symptoms, doctors discharged him from hospital without finding the cause. Eventually, specialists in Lviv established a diagnosis and found an effective treatment.

At the end of January, seven-year-old Arsenii began suffering from severe headaches, intermittent loss of speech, and seizures.

Two hospitals in Ivano-Frankivsk region were unable to help him. Instead of referring the boy to specialists, they simply discharged him home with dangerously high white blood cell counts. His mother repeatedly asked for an MRI scan, but was denied.

Eventually, it was the MRI that showed the lesions in her brain. Further examinations at St. Nicholas Children's Hospital in Lviv led to a diagnosis of autoimmune encephalitis.

This means that Arsenii’s immune system mistakenly attacks cells in his own brain. Initially, doctors prescribed three courses of Bioven. Later, during an online medical consultation, Canadian physicians strongly recommended continuing the treatment with this medication.

After four courses, Arsenii’s condition has improved, but his fight against the disease continues. He still struggles with memory, attention, and sleep disturbances, headaches, and the fear that the seizures may return.

Arsenii lives in the village of Akreshory in Ivano-Frankivsk Region. He loves creating his own worlds from modeling clay and in Minecraft. Whenever he is in hospital, he misses his younger brother terribly. More than anything, Arsenii dreams of returning to a normal childhood free from hospitals and pain.

In 2021, Arsenii lost his father in 2021 due to complications related to COVID-19. Today, he and his younger brother Adriian are cared for by their mother, who is currently on maternity leave.

Over the past six months, the family has spent significant amounts on treatment. Some of the Bioven was provided by the hospital, while additional funds were raised through the support of the family and caring donors. But there isn't enough funding for the fifth course of treatment, so as part of this project, we plan to provide the boy with four vials of the medication so he can continue his treatment.

Together, we can help Arsenii preserve the progress he has achieved and continue his journey toward recovery and a healthy future.