A Better Life for Vitaly: The Search Continues!
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For most, 2020 was a life-changing year due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. For our family, it became particularly challenging when our 7-year old son Vitaly suddenly began having seizures. What was even more frightening is his seizures are drug-resistant.
As you can imagine, his condition has affected every aspect of his life. He can no longer go to school. Things like riding his bike or playing with his little brother are next to impossible when his condition becomes acute. On bad days, he can have over 60 seizures in 24 hours. He needs round-the-clock supervision because seizures can happen anytime, day or night. His medical ketogenic treatment and anxiety management programs also require all hands on deck.
To manage the frequency of his seizures and the numerous CHEO hospital admissions lasting several weeks at a time, my husband and I made the difficult decision to leave our jobs. Although having both his parents with him has been a great comfort to Vitaly during this scary situation, we cannot deny the financial repercussions involved with making that sacrifice.
In the New Year, we have seen more improvement than we did in 2020. The addition of new treatments has given us some progress. However it is slow, volatile and our hopes for success suffer from every new relapse. We haven’t given up though! We continue to search for solutions and treatment options for our brave boy.
Unfortunately, many of his treatment options are not covered by our private insurance or by OHIP.
The next treatment option we would like to explore is Neuro BioFeedback. The aim is to give Vitaly control over his brain activity and anxiety to reduce the frequency and severity of his seizures. We are also exploring more treatment options and tests. Our goal is to narrow down the root cause of the seizures and cater a treatment regimen.
Unfortunately, with the cost of one year’s Neuro Biofeedback treatment starting at $10,000, and some of the tests ranging from $500 each along with our $2000 plus monthly medical keto grocery bills expenses add up. We haven't been able to afford the new treatments due to leaving our jobs to give Vitaly the full-time care he needs.
It crushes us to know that money is the only obstacle in Vitaly’s path to regaining a sense of normalcy. Currently, with the amount of time we are all spending at the hospital, we are reaching the point where we are seriously considering selling our home to continue the treatments Vitaly needs.
We are forever grateful to everyone who have showered us with love, moral support, and gracious donations towards Vitaly’s medical bills during these trying times. When our friends started a Go Fund Me page last fall, we could never have imagined the surge of kindness we experienced. We remain committed as ever to do whatever it takes to help both of our boys reclaim a better quality of life, and this new Go Fund Me page is to help us do just that.
Please share or if you can please donate. With your support, we are sure to find a solution and give Vitaly the childhood and quality of life he deserves!
As you can imagine, his condition has affected every aspect of his life. He can no longer go to school. Things like riding his bike or playing with his little brother are next to impossible when his condition becomes acute. On bad days, he can have over 60 seizures in 24 hours. He needs round-the-clock supervision because seizures can happen anytime, day or night. His medical ketogenic treatment and anxiety management programs also require all hands on deck.
To manage the frequency of his seizures and the numerous CHEO hospital admissions lasting several weeks at a time, my husband and I made the difficult decision to leave our jobs. Although having both his parents with him has been a great comfort to Vitaly during this scary situation, we cannot deny the financial repercussions involved with making that sacrifice.
In the New Year, we have seen more improvement than we did in 2020. The addition of new treatments has given us some progress. However it is slow, volatile and our hopes for success suffer from every new relapse. We haven’t given up though! We continue to search for solutions and treatment options for our brave boy.
Unfortunately, many of his treatment options are not covered by our private insurance or by OHIP.
The next treatment option we would like to explore is Neuro BioFeedback. The aim is to give Vitaly control over his brain activity and anxiety to reduce the frequency and severity of his seizures. We are also exploring more treatment options and tests. Our goal is to narrow down the root cause of the seizures and cater a treatment regimen.
Unfortunately, with the cost of one year’s Neuro Biofeedback treatment starting at $10,000, and some of the tests ranging from $500 each along with our $2000 plus monthly medical keto grocery bills expenses add up. We haven't been able to afford the new treatments due to leaving our jobs to give Vitaly the full-time care he needs.
It crushes us to know that money is the only obstacle in Vitaly’s path to regaining a sense of normalcy. Currently, with the amount of time we are all spending at the hospital, we are reaching the point where we are seriously considering selling our home to continue the treatments Vitaly needs.
We are forever grateful to everyone who have showered us with love, moral support, and gracious donations towards Vitaly’s medical bills during these trying times. When our friends started a Go Fund Me page last fall, we could never have imagined the surge of kindness we experienced. We remain committed as ever to do whatever it takes to help both of our boys reclaim a better quality of life, and this new Go Fund Me page is to help us do just that.
Please share or if you can please donate. With your support, we are sure to find a solution and give Vitaly the childhood and quality of life he deserves!
Co-organizers (2)
Shelly Sawyers
Organizer
Ottawa, ON
Della Thomson
Co-organizer