Daryna is a 28-year-old woman living in eastern Ukraine, bedbound with severe ME/CFS and myasthenia gravis, during ongoing war-related infrastructure attacks.

Right now, massive blackouts caused by Russian strikes mean she has only ~5.5 hours of electricity per day, with individual outages lasting up to 9 hours. Heating does not work during these outages.

As of the date of this posting, more power plants are being attacked. The daily electricity will likely be much lower than 5.5 hours in the near future. Some cities get 1.5-2h and Daryna's city (Dnipro) may experience this now. Colder weather is coming too.

Indoor temperatures drop to 12°C (54°F) or lower. Outside temperatures reach -10°C to -15°C (5–14°F).

Because of her illness, Daryna’s body cannot generate heat. Wearing more layers does not help. She needs external heat to survive.

She is currently waking up shaking from cold — early signs of hypothermia — with severe pain, sleep deprivation, headaches, throat pain from breathing frozen air, and crashes that can last weeks.

Why current equipment isn’t enough

Her heated blanket is too small, leaving cold drafts, and auto-shuts off overnight.

Her current EcoFlow battery cannot power a larger blanket through 9-hour outages.

Making hot water bottles repeatedly is exhausting and unsafe with her limited energy.

What this fundraiser is for

We are raising funds for essential survival equipment:

Additional EcoFlow battery — 40,000 UAH (~$926)

Needed to run a proper heated blanket continuously through long outages.

Warmer, larger heated blanket — 7,700 UAH (~$180)

Proper size and materials to provide real, consistent warmth.

Estimated payment processing fees — $94

Total needed: ~$1,200

This equipment will provide continuous heat during blackouts, helping prevent hypothermia and further medical deterioration.

Donation links are in Daryna’s bio: @reakiro

Thank you for helping keep Daryna alive and warm during this winter.

Fund Use & Distribution (Transparency)

Organizer: Jonathan Buckley

Beneficiary: Daryna Ilina

Location of beneficiary: Eastern Ukraine

All funds raised through this campaign will be used exclusively to purchase essential survival equipment for Daryna, specifically:

Funds will be transferred directly to Daryna or used by the organizer to purchase the listed equipment on her behalf, depending on availability and safety at the time of purchase.

No funds will be used for organizational overhead, salaries, or unrelated expenses. This is a one-time, item-specific emergency fundraiser.

If circumstances change (e.g., item availability), funds will still be used solely for equivalent survival equipment providing heat during power outages.