The serious illness returned again

Somehow, at the age of 2, Valeria's knee began to swell. The doctors of the local clinic recommended that the mother take her daughter for an additional examination to Kyiv Hospital No. 1 on Bogatyrska Street. Unfortunately, the initial diagnosis was confirmed. Valeria was diagnosed with a rare orphan disease – juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

This difficult disease is characterized by the fact that if the child does not achieve remission, complications are inevitable. So, at the age of 3, Valeria was diagnosed with rheumatoid uveitis in her left eye. Until the age of 10, the girl was treated with hormones, cytostatics and anti-inflammatory drugs, but the expected remission did not come. The child practically did not grow, there were frequent relapses. Doctors changed the treatment regimen and prescribed biological drugs to the girl, which had a much better effect on her body. Lera began to grow and practically caught up with her peers. Soon she achieved the long-awaited remission. Unfortunately, the free programs of assistance with this drug had significant interruptions. And so, in December last year, Lera's knee swelled again. Doctors determined that it was a relapse. For 2023, the girl did not make it to the lists of the state aid program. The cost of drugs is over 20,000 hryvnias per month. Lera was helped by charitable foundations, her parents bought something on their own. We have now exhausted their possibilities.

Only the father works in the family, his income is barely enough to support the family. Lera has been disabled since she was 3 years old, and her mother devotes all her time to her treatment and care. Now Lera is studying in the 11th grade. The girl intensively prepares for the external examination and spends most of her time at home studying.

For 14 years of illness, she has already learned not to go outside in the heat, so as not to overheat, or in the cold, so as not to catch a cold, not to get into the water if it is cold, to eat a limited amount of fruit (vitamins) so as not to provoke an increase in immunity. She has friends she hangs out with on weekends. Lera is already used to her lifestyle and her friends support her.

The girl wants to be a pediatric cardiorheumatologist in order to show children and parents by her own example that it is possible to live with this disease and enjoy life. The main thing is the right treatment, work on yourself and not to lose heart. Then everything will be fine.

Help Valeria with her treatment!