"...Countdown is running. The next SCT cycle will require €80,000..."

Each of us has a life beyond the computer, beyond the laser, beyond work or hobby. Some people have more carefree and happy moments. Others have fewer. Every person on this planet has their own path, their own fate, their own perspective of time and existence within it. We all look at the clock and the calendar differently. Sometimes completely differently from others.

Since childhood we are taught that the hands of the clock move clockwise, that hours move forward, that seasons change, that life progresses forward. But life later teaches us something broader — that a clock can measure the span of a moment “from Start to Stop”, where a process begins and a process ends, and in some cases that process will never repeat again. A clock, under certain conditions, can move in reverse, counting down towards the moment movement stops for an event or for a person. There are moments in life when time and the clock stop forever, and a process or a person moves permanently into history, into the past. Time simply stops in that particular life path.

Sometimes time works in our favour. Sometimes we wish we could stop it. Sometimes it stops on its own because a life chapter or a process has been completed. But on a global scale, for the planet and the universe, time flies endlessly through geometry and space, moving forward — even though no one truly understands the final point. That is what astrophysicists study.

I have a son. Due to a medical error, he spent the first 12 days under the sound of medical equipment and under the influence of sleeping fluids. There was a question of whether he would survive or not. He did. He has cerebral palsy. Cerebral palsy is not cured by a magic pill, and so far no revolutionary cure has been invented. There are several programmes in the world today researching ways to improve the condition and restore brain cells. CP is usually damage to brain cells — neurons and neural connections. That is why I deeply respect and always emphasise the importance of researchers, of people searching for funding, working on new and sometimes seemingly fantastical solutions. Over the past fifty years, these people — inventors, sometimes amateurs — have significantly improved the lives of people with disabilities, not only those with CP. Eye-tracking communication devices, neurostimulators, Lycra therapy suits, SCT (a complex but highly effective process), CBD, and many other things were invented by someone who dared to try — and launched real processes of rehabilitation and improvement.

My life does not revolve around the Moon or the Sun. It revolves around my son, Mark.

In 2023–2024 we did something I do not regret for a second. We underwent Stem Cell Treatment (SCT). The total cost, including all expenses, was €60,000. The procedure partially restored brain cells and created positive dynamics. Mark began doing things that, given his GMFCS level, would have been impossible under similar conditions without the treatment. He started rolling independently and transitioning into a seated position. He began sitting on his own — now up to 45 minutes. He started walking extensively in a walker, gaining partial freedom of movement, freedom of choice, freedom of action. After the procedure he gained better control over his movements. He learned to pick up small toys. He is learning to manage dystonia and gently put toys down the way Mum and Dad do.

He is very intelligent. He jokes. He can be cheeky. He remembers routes to favourite places and people. He builds logical cause-and-effect connections. Mentally, his brain functions properly — even ahead of what might be expected for his age.

Scientific evidence shows that stem cell–based brain recovery is most effective before the age of nine. This is connected to biological brain development and how the human brain forms during growth. That is simply how nature designed it. Mark is now six years and six months old. My countdown has two years and six months remaining. The closer we get to nine, the lower the effectiveness of SCT. Results will still exist, but at seven years old the effectiveness is roughly 30–40% higher than at nine. After nine, efficiency almost halves, because brain development has largely completed and recovery occurs through slower, more complex mechanisms.

Countdown is running. The next SCT cycle will require €80,000 including travel and associated costs. The process is staged: one procedure every 9–11 weeks, followed by recovery, intensive rehabilitation, double workload, triple vitamins doses, preparation for the next stage — a full course 6 procedures in total.

What can I do to earn that amount in the shortest possible time?

That is how the Fiber and UV Laser Academy was born — because of Mark and his urgent need with a timer attached. I have a need, my son needs help — but I have something valuable to offer in return. I have experience, knowledge, understanding of laser processes. I develop settings, methods, ready-made solutions.

But the time for the Academy to develop does not coincide with Mark's timer, the effective treatment window may end faster than the Academy will be able to earn these funds, so I need to create this fundraising as a backup.

Time, for me, is not abstract. It is a timer. It is luxury.

Mark is a regular boy in a mental condition. Think back to being six years old — Mum, Dad, relatives, Christmas, Santa presents, playing outside, football, skating, first hugs, first kisses. Mark cannot do 80% of that independently. He watches other children. He looks at me, eyes slightly wet, silently asking: “Why is there always a walker frame around me?” // “Why can’t I do what they can?”...

Any parent feels time transform into a timer at that moment. And you want to do everything possible to move your child even two or three steps closer to independence, freedom — so he can have friends and play without his father always beside him. He loves travelling — Austria, Germany, Belgium, France, Luxembourg (countries we were in on our way to treatment). And the historic castles of Britain, where we now live temporarily.

Being Ukrainian under temporary protection in Britain adds complexity. A new country, new rules, cultural differences, starting from zero. Many men do not speak about the weight they carry. I constantly feel the responsibility — like reinforced concrete on my chest. I see two possible paths: success and a better future for Mark — or — failure and lost opportunity. War, loss of friends, rebuilding life from zero, uncertainty — sleep becomes minimal. Life feels like rowing through a storm toward either a new island or a cliff.

But life is movement regardless...

Thank you for your help, donation, and the opportunity to share my fundraiser.