The World As One
Сharity Fund

Natalia Petrenko (Artur’s mother):

“Please reply to my letter, my heartcry! I will try to describe my son’s condition in a few words, though it will take a lot of time just to enumerate his diagnoses, … My little one has epilepsy with generalized attacks and tentorium and white matter congenital malformation, arachnoidal cyst, cardiopathy, mitral valve prolapse, left ventricle’s cord anomaly, changes in myocard, dolichosigmoid, responsive liver and pancrease changes, thyroid gland hypoplasy. The doctors have also set the diagnosis of “1st level alalia, mental retardation (slight imbecility)”. These diseases are not lethal, but, considering changes in the child’s head and brain, the treatment should be long-term and competent. We have been offered a modern method in Kyiv, but it is too expensive for us. We have addressed a neurosurgeon, but he said that “…this is an incurable disease, relieve epilepsy and pain attacks, teach him to speak”.

The child is constantly crying because of headache, he points to his head with his hands, he has regular epilepsy attacks of different kinds at different times. The child is irritable and unsociable, he has frequent anger attacks because of high intracranial pressure. We have to remove all sharp and heavy objects from the house, as we often suffer from traumas that Artur may cause unexpectedly. The doctor has explained that our boy cannot control himself, because he protects his territory like an animal. After attacks he sometimes has enuresis, his intestinal tract may only be emptied with the help of an enema…. I can endlessly enumerate all the problems, but the main thing is that I cannot help my child. He has been declared disabled and is given a benefit of $50 a month, while we spend much more on his treatment per week. We cannot take a loan anywhere as I have minor children. Every week Artur needs injections and pills, then he feels better. Now medicines have run out, and again my boy is sluggish, prone to crying, with circles under his eyes. He jumps up at night, waves his hands in the dark and cries, and at these moments he doesn’t recognize anyone. I cry with him because I cannot do anything… That’s why I’m addressing you for help, with great thanks and respect for the work you’re doing”.