Vladislav Brushko

Four-year-old Vlad Brushko dreams that his Dad could always live with him and didn't have to leave. Unfortunately, Vlad rarely gets to see his Dad now - there are no jobs in a small village in Chernihiv region where Vlad lives now with his Mom, so Dad had to look for work in Kiev. Family desperately needs money - Vladislav has cystic fibrosis, and treatment costs are very high. Also, there are no doctors trained in treating children with cycstic fibrosis in Chernihiv region, and Vlad needs to go to Moscow for tests and treatment at least once or twice a year. We are asking you to help us raise funds to cover the costs of those necessary hospital visits. Vlad’s Mom, Nelya, stays home with Vlad. She writes:

“We live in Korop, a small town in Chernihiv region in Ukraine. It’s a beautiful place to live but unfortunately there are almost no jobs here, and the ones that are available pay so little that it’s impossible to support a family. This is why Vlad’s Dad left to find work in Kyiv, and we rarely see him. I can’t work because I have to take care of Vlad. I tried enrolling him in daycare, and he was able to go only four times in two months, and immediately he got sick. We decided to not risk his health. My Mom died, and my Mother-in-law has her own health problems and can’t watch Vladik who is a very active and rambunctious. She can’t help us financially, either, her pension is too small.”

Family always needs money for medications and vitamins for Vlad. From March until October, Vlad receives digestive enzyme Creon for free from government-funded program but it’s not available the rest of the year. Yet, the boy needs to take Creon before every meal. He also needs many other medications: fluimucil®, lazolvan®, pulmozyme®, berodual®, ursosan®, motilium®, gaviscon®, vitamins A, D, E, K and polyvitamins. Last fall, doctors in Moscow clinic prescribed all those medications to Vlad in order to keep his symptoms under control and prevent pulmonary, liver and digestive tract complications.

Nelya writes: “We buy ursosan and fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, K. Often by the time I counts the number of drops of each vitamin, Vlad runs away and half of vitamins gets spilled while I chase him. Unfortunately, specialized blend ADEKs is not sold in Ukraine. Inhaled fliumicin helps Vlad a lot to loosen the mucus in his lungs but it’s very expensive and we often can’t buy it. We also can’t afford specialized nutrition. Doctors highly recommend it as Vlad hasn’t gained any weight this year. He looks so thin, we have to use suspenders to keep his pants from falling.”

Morever, Vlad has developed problems with vision and hearing. He wears glasses but likely will need eye surgery after he turns six. After the last ear infection, Vlad lost 80% of his hearing. Nelya hopes that doctors in Moscow can help figure out the reasons for such dramatic hearing loss.

Vlad’s condition is not very good now, he has a sinus infection that persists for over a month, and it’s hard for him to breeze at night. Also, he can’t gain weight. He needs to have a sputum culture test done to determine which medication will help him. Unfortunately, he can’t get it done in Ukraine. He also needs to be seen by an ENT specialist and an ophthalmologist.

We are asking our donors to help us raise funds for Vlad’s treatment in Moscow, as well as for a yearly supply of necessary medications. Brushko family has contacted many Ukrainian charities but were turned down. Last year, Russian charity Pomogi.org funded his trip to Moscow but they also had to turn Vlad down this year as he isn’t a Russian citizen. We need to raise $2000 to pay for his hospital stay in specialized clinic at Russian Academy of Medical Sciences.

Here is what Vlad himself tell about his treatment: “I have nebulizer treatments every day, and I watch cartoons when I do them. When I get sick, I have to breeze through a nebulizer many times a day. Every night I take ursosan, I take it all by myself. I know I need two pills. Also I know that I need to take Creon – one large pill and one small – every time before food.”

Please, help us raise money for Vlad’s treatment in Moscow!

News

December 12, 2011. We would like to thank all of you for helping us raise enough money to pay for Vlad's treatment in Moscow. We were even able to purchase a new nebulizer for him, as it needs to be replaced every year, and a supply of medications that should last Vlad for a year. Doctors were also able to successfully treat Vlad's persistent sinus infection. Vlad and his Mom Nelya thank all of you!