Please save our son
Donation protected
Hello! My name is Mia Debeljak and I have a son named Lukas. He was born in Germany on July 12, 2013 with only half a heart. The disease is also called double inlet left ventricle. The doctors told me and my husband that our son would be able to have a pretty normal life if he had three big operations. He had his first big operation 6 days after he was born. There were no complications, so we could leave the hospital nine days later.
But one month later he had another unplanned operation. Without any complications, he recovered quickly and went back home again after a one-week stay in the hospital. In November it was time for the next big operation. But this time complications arose. His heart rhythm and therefore his pulse were too slow now. At first the doctors thought he needed a pacemaker but it turned out to be unnecessary. Fortunately he recovered without it. So we could take him home. Until then he should gain weight and have regular check-ups at a cardiologist for children. He was finally able to live an almost normal life with his family.
In September 2016 he even started going to kindergarten. He really enjoyed it. However, he realized soon that he was a bit different than the other children. They were able to run very fast and long distances too. But he often had to rest because he ran out of breath. So now he had to get through his last big operation. On November 29, 2017 we went to the hospital and the operation went ok. This time he got a pacemaker just in case his heartbeat would cause trouble again.
Unfortunately the nightmare began shortly after. His body just couldn't drain the excess fluid so he needed special drainage ''bottles'' to dispose of the fluid. Also the doctors found out that he was losing lymph. That is a major problem as it is full of things that gives your body energy and power and contain proteins such as antibodies that helps fight harmful organisms, a situation that could really be dangerous for him. Also due to the excess buildup of the fluid in his body he wasn't able to breathe properly because the fluids would put pressure on his lungs. He had to go on a fat-free diet as the doctors were hoping that it could stop his "bottles" from getting filled again. But after three months the diet-experiment was abandoned. There was absolutely no success. The only thing that happened was that he lost a massive amount of weight. He had to be put on a drip to get enough nutrition. Even the attempts to improve his situation with all kinds of medicine failed. As you can imagine the physical and psychological stress put on us was unbearable. On December 21, 2018 he got rid of his last bottle and we went back home.
He felt okay until October 2019 breathing became more and more difficult for him and he could hardly eat. He was always tired, too. This is due to the permanent infection which caused enormous contusions. He was so weak that we had to go the hospital again. The puncture of the contusions didn't have any effect and so new bottles turned out to be inevitable. The doctors have carried out lots of examinations again and found out that his problems originated from his heart. But momentarily the main problem is his lymph system. Constantly having these contusions is life-threatening for him and the facilities in Kiel are limited. So the doctors got in touch with the only expert worldwide. He works at a children's hospital in the USA this is his last chance. But the bad thing is that treatments in American hospitals are extremely expensive and you must pay for them yourself. Furthermore, we would have to travel in a special plane because of his bottles. This would also be very expensive. That's why we ask for donations, the health insurance here in Germany helped us a lot and paid a part of Lukas' operations that he had before, but this operation is too expensive that they won't help us. The doctors say he needs to go to the children's hospital in Philadelphia as soon as possible, it's Lukas' last chance to survive. We don't know what to do and there is no other chance left, that's why we started this gofundme page. We need donations for: cost of living for the long hospital stays, treatment in the U.S. including airfare, travel expenses, accommodation costs and much more... Please help us. We can't lose our little boy, he already survived every operation, we can't lose him now. He is so young, he has still so much to see and to learn and to discover. His story can't be over already. His life has just begun. He was too often in the hospital. He deserves a childhood and a normal life. He deserves to live. So please help us, help him. We really appreciate any kind of help. Thank you for reading!
(And just a side note: With an internationally recognized credit card or debit card, can you donate from anywhere in the world. The payment made in another currency will be made automatically by the donor's/your bank.) - The money goes to our friend Lea, she works at the hospital here in Germany, she has supported us over the past years and she will also support us in Philadelphia. She has already been in the U.S. before and she knows everything about: treatment in the U.S., airfare, travel expenses, accommodation costs etc... We don't know anything about these things, but it's awesome to have a friend that will help us to organize everything. She will also translate everything, so we don't misunderstand something when we are in Philadelphia, especially when we are in the hospital with Lukas. We trust her and know how much she loves Lukas. So don't hesitate to donate and keep in mind: EVERYTHING you guys donate is for Lukas!!
But one month later he had another unplanned operation. Without any complications, he recovered quickly and went back home again after a one-week stay in the hospital. In November it was time for the next big operation. But this time complications arose. His heart rhythm and therefore his pulse were too slow now. At first the doctors thought he needed a pacemaker but it turned out to be unnecessary. Fortunately he recovered without it. So we could take him home. Until then he should gain weight and have regular check-ups at a cardiologist for children. He was finally able to live an almost normal life with his family.
In September 2016 he even started going to kindergarten. He really enjoyed it. However, he realized soon that he was a bit different than the other children. They were able to run very fast and long distances too. But he often had to rest because he ran out of breath. So now he had to get through his last big operation. On November 29, 2017 we went to the hospital and the operation went ok. This time he got a pacemaker just in case his heartbeat would cause trouble again.
Unfortunately the nightmare began shortly after. His body just couldn't drain the excess fluid so he needed special drainage ''bottles'' to dispose of the fluid. Also the doctors found out that he was losing lymph. That is a major problem as it is full of things that gives your body energy and power and contain proteins such as antibodies that helps fight harmful organisms, a situation that could really be dangerous for him. Also due to the excess buildup of the fluid in his body he wasn't able to breathe properly because the fluids would put pressure on his lungs. He had to go on a fat-free diet as the doctors were hoping that it could stop his "bottles" from getting filled again. But after three months the diet-experiment was abandoned. There was absolutely no success. The only thing that happened was that he lost a massive amount of weight. He had to be put on a drip to get enough nutrition. Even the attempts to improve his situation with all kinds of medicine failed. As you can imagine the physical and psychological stress put on us was unbearable. On December 21, 2018 he got rid of his last bottle and we went back home.
He felt okay until October 2019 breathing became more and more difficult for him and he could hardly eat. He was always tired, too. This is due to the permanent infection which caused enormous contusions. He was so weak that we had to go the hospital again. The puncture of the contusions didn't have any effect and so new bottles turned out to be inevitable. The doctors have carried out lots of examinations again and found out that his problems originated from his heart. But momentarily the main problem is his lymph system. Constantly having these contusions is life-threatening for him and the facilities in Kiel are limited. So the doctors got in touch with the only expert worldwide. He works at a children's hospital in the USA this is his last chance. But the bad thing is that treatments in American hospitals are extremely expensive and you must pay for them yourself. Furthermore, we would have to travel in a special plane because of his bottles. This would also be very expensive. That's why we ask for donations, the health insurance here in Germany helped us a lot and paid a part of Lukas' operations that he had before, but this operation is too expensive that they won't help us. The doctors say he needs to go to the children's hospital in Philadelphia as soon as possible, it's Lukas' last chance to survive. We don't know what to do and there is no other chance left, that's why we started this gofundme page. We need donations for: cost of living for the long hospital stays, treatment in the U.S. including airfare, travel expenses, accommodation costs and much more... Please help us. We can't lose our little boy, he already survived every operation, we can't lose him now. He is so young, he has still so much to see and to learn and to discover. His story can't be over already. His life has just begun. He was too often in the hospital. He deserves a childhood and a normal life. He deserves to live. So please help us, help him. We really appreciate any kind of help. Thank you for reading!
(And just a side note: With an internationally recognized credit card or debit card, can you donate from anywhere in the world. The payment made in another currency will be made automatically by the donor's/your bank.) - The money goes to our friend Lea, she works at the hospital here in Germany, she has supported us over the past years and she will also support us in Philadelphia. She has already been in the U.S. before and she knows everything about: treatment in the U.S., airfare, travel expenses, accommodation costs etc... We don't know anything about these things, but it's awesome to have a friend that will help us to organize everything. She will also translate everything, so we don't misunderstand something when we are in Philadelphia, especially when we are in the hospital with Lukas. We trust her and know how much she loves Lukas. So don't hesitate to donate and keep in mind: EVERYTHING you guys donate is for Lukas!!
Organizer and beneficiary
Mia Debeljak
Organizer
Kiel
Lea Yuvayapar
Beneficiary
