The ongoing crisis in Russia and Ukraine has displaced millions of Ukrainian citizens. One family in particular has a challenging struggle that they have to deal with. Their daughter, Dana, has type 1 spinal muscular atrophy. This disease requires a life-saving treatment that can cost at least 2,000,000 American dollars.

When Dana was two months old, she was having trouble holding her head up. Her mother took her in for a checkup where doctors observed the problem. Her mother said in an interview with Newsweek “So, she was given physical therapy and calcium to make her bones stronger but two months on, she was not getting any better. At that point, we were told to undertake genetic testing for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA).” Dana tested positive for this disease in its most severe form. 

Dana is now one year old, and on a trip with her parents to Poland for physical therapy, the war between Russia and her home country began. The family now rents a small apartment, waiting to see the outcome of the war.

Dana is in need of treatments, but her family’s financial situation isn’t stable enough to provide for her. The family has raised about a quarter of what is needed to pay for the treatment, so they still need a lot more. 

The family’s gofundme can be found here: https://gofund.me/18c4223b