I am creating this GoFundMe for my older sister, Nikola. She is a loving mom to two wonderful kids, Penelope and Luca.

Since December 2024, my nephew Luca (age 5) has been facing serious health challenges. What started out as what we thought were just frequent viral infections quickly became more complicated. Month after month, he was sick. He has gone through multitudes of hospital visits, doctor appointments, lab work, and countless scans and tests. Despite repeated rounds of antibiotics, his symptoms kept coming back.

Earlier this year, after a particularly difficult episode of stomach pain and high fevers that led to a hospital stay, Nikola and her husband were finally able to get him seen at CHOP (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia). There, Luca was diagnosed with PFAPA Syndrome (Periodic Fever, Aphthous Stomatitis, Pharyngitis, and Adenitis). PFAPA is a rare childhood condition that causes recurring high fevers, painful mouth sores, sore throats, and swollen lymph nodes.

This has taken a huge toll on Luca’s quality of life and on their whole family. Every month brings new challenges and setbacks. My sister and her husband have had to travel back and forth to different CHOP locations, balancing medical bills, travel expenses, and time away from work.

Luca now needs genetic testing (not covered by insurance) and will also undergo a routine surgery soon to help manage his symptoms. During this time, his parents will need to take off work to care for him, adding more financial stress on top of everything else.

Despite all of this, Luca continues to amaze us with his strength and resilience. He turns 6 years old on October 8th, and it would mean the world to help him celebrate his birthday without his family having to worry about mounting medical debt.

Your donations will go directly toward:

Every contribution, no matter the size, helps lift some of the weight off their shoulders and allows them to focus on helping Luca heal.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for your kindness, generosity, and prayers for Luca and our family.