Daryna is a 28-year-old woman living in a war zone in eastern Ukraine, fighting severe ME/CFS, Myasthenia Gravis, and multiple other comorbidities while enduring constant bombings and navigating severe disability alone. She is bedbound, coordinating complex medical needs without adequate support, and in urgent need of life-saving treatment and evacuation to safety.

We are asking for your ongoing support to cover Daryna’s medical costs for Myasthenia Gravis (MG) and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS).

Daryna urgently needs to evacuate Ukraine after approximately 20 drone strikes in close proximity to her apartment building in late November caused massive collateral damage to the building as well as direct damage to surrounding areas.

Aftermath of November 17th shelling to Daryna's building and neighboring buildings

Donations will exclusively go to medical requirements and essential daily care like medicine, doctor’s appointments, and blood tests, as well as to helping Daryna find a safer place to live.

Daryna first began experiencing symptoms in late summer 2021. Finally, after three years of endless doctor visits, tests, and misdiagnoses, she was diagnosed with both MG and ME/CFS in late 2024, with other suspected comorbidities.

Her condition has only continued to deteriorate due to lack of specialized care, ongoing war stress, housing and financial instability, familial and medical abuse, and inability to access proper treatment in Ukraine.

Daryna is 99% bedbound. She struggles to perform even basic daily functions - cooking, eating, bathing, and communicating all require immense effort and often trigger severe crashes that leave her unable to function for days. She desperately needs consistent help with daily survival tasks, but this support is minimal and unreliable.

Because she has severe ME/CFS, Daryna experiences PEM (post-exertional malaise / post-exertional neuroimmunological exhaustion) - severe immune flare-ups after any activity. She has extreme sensory hypersensitivity, requiring 4-12 hours daily of complete sensory deprivation (eye mask, earplugs, darkness) to recover from minimal activities like eating or using the bathroom.

She has left her apartment only 3 times in the past 6 months; twice for doctor appointments and once to reach the bomb shelter during the shelling.

In addition to ME/CFS and Myasthenia Gravis, Daryna has multiple severe comorbidities: immune deficiency (chronic EBV reactivations and susceptibility to infections), autonomic dysfunction (POTS - affecting heart rate and blood pressure regulation), mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS - causing severe reactions to everyday triggers), and secondary adrenal insufficiency (her body doesn’t produce enough cortisol). These conditions create a dangerous feedback loop where each worsens the others.

Most recently, Daryna has begun experiencing severe breathing problems - she repeatedly stops breathing during sleep and rest. This is a dangerous escalation of her myasthenic crisis (from MG) that requires urgent treatment.

Daryna manages all medical coordination completely alone while bedbound. While her family provides some practical help (food and occasional logistics), she has no consistent caregiving support or local network to help with appointments and daily medical needs. Every medical decision, every doctor call, every medication coordination must be handled by her while experiencing severe post-exertional crashes.

Daryna’s medical needs lead to severe financial strain because while ME/CFS exists in Ukraine’s medical classification system (ICD-10), there are no doctors who understand the condition and it does not qualify for disability benefits. Essential MG medications like IVIG, which are typically covered in the US and EU, must be paid for privately, as must all other medications, doctor visits, and medical tests.

Daryna's last IVIG treatment in September was completely paid out of pocket, with help from fundraising

Daryna has been approved for a small disability payment for MG ($50/month), but bureaucratic delays mean it’s unclear when payments will begin, and this amount wouldn’t meaningfully cover her medical expenses regardless. Her total monthly medication costs are approximately $500, not including periodic IVIG treatments ($3,500 each). A friend helps contribute toward Daryna’s monthly expenses, covering only a portion of her rent and a small fraction of her medical costs, leaving significant gaps in her ability to afford treatments and medications.

Daily bombings and air raids make baseline recovery impossible, with each air raid alert triggering dangerous adrenaline surges that worsen both her MG and ME/CFS. This creates a perpetual cycle of deterioration, and the ongoing threat of strikes eliminates any chance of stability.

She is urgently looking to relocate to Europe, preferably Germany, seeking refuge and access to better medical support for ME/CFS and MG. We ask for help finding resources for contacts and organizations that can help with the relocation.

If you can donate any amount, even just $5, it will go a long way. Please consider a monthly recurring donation for Daryna’s needs. A recurring donation not only provides the financial support she needs, but also helps provide some predictability and stability in her unsafe and difficult situation.

Daryna and I cooking together, before her condition got worse

Daryna is in active danger from both her rapidly deteriorating health and constant bombings. This is not about improving quality of life - this is about survival. Our goal is to allow Daryna to afford life-saving medications and relocate to a safer country where she can access specialized medical care. Her situation is critical and requires urgent support.

Thank you for your support.

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