The real world is not a hospital ward!

His mother called to ask for our help, and I had to ask her what the child's age was, again, to double check. He's how old? SEVEN MONTHS?! Unfortunately, yes. We hope that as the child gets older, his condition stabilizes and everything will get better. But at this time, his lungs are unable to let him breathe properly.

To save this little boy's life, Ilya needs to get his own oxygen concentrator and an oximetry monitor, to measure the vitally important oxygen levels, to alarm if the level is too low, and to keep a record of the oxygen level's fluctuations over each 24 hours, so the doctors would be able to see the trends.

"Little Ilya is a very happy baby, he has a sister and two brothers and he very much loves playing with them", his mom tells me and falls silent. This little boy has spent most of his young life in the hospital so far. Cystic fibrosis, a severe form... Even the fact that he was diagnosed early has, unfortunately, not helped to stabilize his condition so far, but the doctors are working hard to find that specific magic treatment regimen which will work specifically for Ilya. Even time itself can be of help. When Ilya gets a little older and puts on a little more weight, he will have more strength to fight his illness.

Right now, we can help him not only to feel better but also to spend more time at home, with his large family. If they have their own oximetry monitor and additional oxygen, his parents won't have to, each time he gets worse, to rush him to the ER--their emergency help will be right here, at hand, and the hospital admission will be planned, if necessary, rather than emergent.

"A little boy is exploring the word, but it's hard for him to breathe... Help him explore the real world and not the hospital wards", that is all his mother is asking for. So easy. And so impossible for his family to do by themselves. But all of us together can help this little boy!

Name: Sholotiuk Ilia, 14.06.2016

City: Kivertsi, Volyn region

Diagnosis: cystic fibrosis with pancreatic insufficiency