Several people in Winnepeg are standing up behind a 10-year-old girl who has been diagnosed with cystic fibrosis (CF).
The preteen Dasha Mazor has been suffering from CF since birth, but her uncle Kolya Yevtushenko, and his wife, hope that she'll able to live longer. Yevtushenko and his family emigrated from the Ukraine more than 5 years ago.
According to her uncle, who is the brother of Mazor's mother, it's quite difficult to obtain medical help for her niece since there's no adequate funding for children with CF right now. The budget meant for health care has been diverted to the current Ukrainian crisis.
Cystic fibrosis, also abbreviated as CF, is a genetic condition that can be fatal for the patient when it's not immediately and effectively managed. Affecting the vital organs such as the lungs and those that form part of the digestive system, CF is characterized by changing the viscosity of mucus and other secreted fluids. A defect in the genes prevents them from becoming thin and slippery. Instead they are not only thick but also sticky.
This makes it difficult for the patient to breathe as well as process and absorb nutrients, among others. A patient with CF also develops symptoms such as breathlessness, wheezing, stuffy nose, inflammation in the nasal passage, greasy stools, and severe constipation.
According to the uncle, Mazor's mother has already quit work to take care of her daughter full time. This means that the finances are really tight. To help the family, they have set up a Go Fund Me page called Support Dasha's Quest for a CF Vest. This specially designed vest helps improve the flow of air in and out the lungs of Mazor through the device's inflation-deflation movement. They are currently aiming for a $20,000 goal. As of today, the page has already raised more than $8,000.
Aside from the vest, the money will be used to cover for her regular treatments. According to the page, the Ukrainian government used to cover for 30 medication cases every month, but then the number reduced to only 2 due to the Ukrainian crisis.
Although they are a bit far from their goal right now, they are already thankful for the outpouring support, especially from the Ukrainian community in Winnepeg.
