Fundraising for Victoria Polyuha with a rare Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) disease has been closed in Lviv. The last million UAH was sent by a couple from Kyiv, whose son Kyrylo also suffers from SMA, but won a free injection this year.
UAH 50 million ($ 1 923 000) was raised for Victoria’s Zolgensma injection. The injection should be given at an American clinic in San Antonio.
SMA is a serious disease. In Lviv, two children of Natalia Radysh, Lukyan (10) and Sofiyka (12), live with it. More than 250 people in Ukraine are diagnosed with SMA. Although the register of orphan patients has not been created in Ukraine yet.
It is an inherited disease that is passed on to children from their parents. It is caused by a damaged SMN1 gene that leads to low protein content and muscular atrophy. At the age of 8 months, Victoria stopped lifting her legs and could no longer sit on her own. The result of the SMA analysis shocked the parents, and they rushed to save their daughter.
Since the beginning of fundraising, hundreds of festivals, fairs, races, and auctions have been held in Lviv to raise 50 million uah for little Victoria. The girl spent 7 months in rehabilitation in Italy and only recently returned home to Lviv.
Translated by Vitalii Holich
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