A chance for Milana to say "mom"

"Mom is a dream word. But my daughter still can't pronounce it. Help Milana speak and see this world for real," says the mother of 4-year-old Milana.

Milanochka was born a healthy, expected and desired girl. But when she was 3.5 years old, doctors made terrible diagnoses: severe autism (subgroup A), speech and developmental delays, ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), dysarthria, lack of speech understanding and complex communication disorders, mental retardation, sensory disorders, sleep and eating disorders

Milana is from the frontline city of Chuhuiv, Kharkiv region. The family was forced to move to Kyiv in order to save the child and give her a chance for development. Now the girl does not speak, does not understand, cannot express her needs, and does not control her emotions. When she is hurt or scared, she just bites herself by the handle... It's painful even to read this – and her mother sees it every day. The girl does not have the childhood we are used to thinking about. She has doctors, tears, tests, therapy, fear. But despite everything, she smiles, she wants to live, she fights.

After a consultation with a geneticist, it became clear that Milana needed genetic analysis to find the cause, understand her condition more deeply and open up new opportunities for help. The results of genetic testing will allow us to specify the diagnosis, prognosis and, probably, modify the scheme of medical support. Mom is doing everything she can. And even more. But she is already on the verge – financially, morally, physically.

Let's give Milana a chance to use the word "mom" together. Not tomorrow. Not someday, but now – because every day matters to her. Support Milanka, because she deserves not just to survive, but to live.