Required: rehabilitation course in the medical center “Sakura” (Chelyabinsk), worth 235,150 rubles.
Diagnosis: cerebral palsy, spastic quadriplegia.
Milena turned seven in August. The girl was born at the crack of dawn in summer, at 39 weeks, with perfect Apgar scores (8 out of 8). The delivery was ok, without any complications, a textbook case. The baby girl started crying right after the delivery and she was put to breast right away. Then something went wrong, as Milena’s mom shares in her letter to our fund. On the following day the baby turned yellow and became sluggish – she kept on sleeping, never ate and one day later she got entirely yellow. The doctors made an appointment for ultrasonography, although they didn’t show any signs of anxiety. But the sonographer alarmed us at once, “What are you waiting for? Your baby is saffron-yellow!” Milena was immediately taken to the ICU – her condition was already too bad. The newborn girl was then given two exchange blood transfusions and put on a ventilator.
As it turned out later, there had been a mistake when defining Milena’s Rh status at her birth. And a traditional compulsory immunization led to unforeseen consequences.
The baby girl was diagnosed with a hemolytic disease of newborn. It’s a rare condition of the newborn that happens when there is an incompatibility of the Rh blood group between the mother and fetus. It develops in only 2-3 newborn babies out of 1,000. If not treated right away, it leads to dire consequences – to the baby’s death or severe neurological disorders with signs of cerebral palsy, delayed psychological and physical development, deafness, speech disorders, etc. The family was deprived of peace and quiet for years to come.
“In Milena’s case the doctors missed the right moment to take measures and mitigate risks – the level of bilirubin in her blood was too high and, unfortunately, it destroyed the brain cells”, her mother shares. “We were transferred from the ICU to the neonatal pathology unit where we spent a month and were later discharged and diagnosed with the onset of infantile cerebral palsy”.
At home we started rehabilitation activities at once – massages, reflexology, physiotherapeutic procedures, swimming pool, reflexology massages and so on. But still, when Milena was eight months old, she was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. We doubled down on our baby girl’s rehabilitation – we visited a range of medical centers across the country, searching for the right place where the doctors could help us. Eventually, we found out that there is a medical center “Sakura” in our hometown. We took a rehabilitation course there – and were amazed by the expertise of the medical staff. We got outstanding results and realized that we’d just wasted time vising different centers. Another important thing is that “Sakura” is located in our hometown, so we don’t need to rent a flat or spend money on travelling expenses. Moreover, we could just stay with our family”.
The girl’s family desperately needs our support. A rehabilitation course will reduce muscle tone for Milena and improve life both for her and her family – the girl will be able to eat and sleep much better, which means it will be easier for her parents to take care of her and the family’s life will gain a bit of peace and quiet.
We are launching a fundraising campaign for Milena and are hoping for your help!