Funding request: $2,077.38CAD
Critical Need: CN-UTI0226
For Veronika is a lively and affectionate nine-year-old who loves to sing, dance, and ride her bicycle through her village. She especially enjoys her crafts class at school, where she can create with her hands and express her joyful spirit. Yet behind her bright smile is a long and painful medical journey.
At just two years old, Veronika suffered severe complications from influenza that first affected her eyesight. Soon after, she developed ptosis and was unable to fully open her eyes, often forced to tilt her head back just to see. She began experiencing intense pain in her head, arms, and legs. After extensive examinations, doctors diagnosed her with myasthenia gravis, a chronic autoimmune disease that causes profound muscle weakness and fatigue.
For five years, Veronika underwent treatment at a specialized children’s hospital. Her condition improved significantly, but the illness left lasting consequences. She developed strabismus in both eyes, and her vision remains very poor. Now she requires two delicate eye surgeries to correct her sight and prevent further deterioration.
Veronika lives with her parents, grandmother, and two siblings in her grandmother’s modest village home. The family heats the house with firewood and keeps a small farm to help put food on the table. Both parents are unemployed. Her mother lives with her own health challenges, and the family relies on small state benefits and the grandmother’s modest income as a social worker. Their resources are stretched thin, making the cost of specialized eye surgery far beyond their reach.
Without this intervention, Veronika’s struggles in school will continue, and her confidence may suffer. With it, she will have the chance to read comfortably, participate fully in class, and enjoy the simple freedoms of childhood without constant strain.
Your support can help restore not only Veronika’s vision, but also her independence and hope for the future.
Thank you for opening your heart to children like Veronika and for taking the time to think about families facing such heavy burdens. Your compassion brings light where it is needed most.
Please note that any donations that exceed the request will be used to fund other critical need emergencies that may arise.