Vitaliy Needs Our Help
Donation protected
My name is Anastasia Balatsky. I'm 14 years old and I live in New Jersey because my amazing parents left behind everything they knew to escape the Ukraine and build a new life in America. Sadly, not everyone is so fortunate. My cousin Vitaliy Krupyak will never leave the Ukraine, so I met him for the first time my first time in the Ukraine when I was just 5 years old . To this day, I still remember the smile on his face when he picked me up and spun me in the air. I think I remember this day because when I saw him for the second time I was 12 and I didn't recognize him at.
You see, Vitaly has End Stage Renal Disease and it's killing him ... not only his body, but also his spirit. It's not that he's not a fighter, but how do you fight something without access to the basic care we take for granted in the US? To survive, he will need a transplant that costs $60K. I am committed to raising the money necessary to give him a second chance, but first I need to buy my cousin time. He is only 31 years old, but he can't work and only gets $50 a month from the government. $50! I know I can't ask people to cover the cost of a transplant, but I hope I'll be able to raise enough to support ongoing dialysis and the medicine he'll need to hang on while I find a way to get my cousin the transplant he deserves.
When I told my friend that, she asked why I thought he deserved it? At first, I thought it was an odd and maybe slightly callous question but in that moment I knew the answer. Because he never asked. Not once has he ever asked for help and I remember him telling my parents he didn't want to be a burden to his family. Can you imagine the humility and grace that requires? To accept at 31 year's old that you will likely never see 32 because you didn't win the genetic lottery ... because you were born in a country were hope is nowhere to be found for the poor and the forgotten. I want to show Vitaly that hope does exist ... even in the darkest corners of the world in our darkest moments, hope exists and he's not forgotten.
And maybe selfishly, I hope my actions will inspire others to pay attention to those around them in need. We get so caught up in our daily lives that we forget that to someone, anything may be everything. I feel guilty asking others for money, but I feel more guilty living a blessed life that Vitaliy will never know. So for this brief moment in time, I want to show him that he's not forgotten, he's not forsaken and hope is not bound by geography or station in life. I want to see my cousin smile again and God willing, maybe he'll have the strength one day to spin me in the air.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your help.
With love and hope,
Anastasia
You see, Vitaly has End Stage Renal Disease and it's killing him ... not only his body, but also his spirit. It's not that he's not a fighter, but how do you fight something without access to the basic care we take for granted in the US? To survive, he will need a transplant that costs $60K. I am committed to raising the money necessary to give him a second chance, but first I need to buy my cousin time. He is only 31 years old, but he can't work and only gets $50 a month from the government. $50! I know I can't ask people to cover the cost of a transplant, but I hope I'll be able to raise enough to support ongoing dialysis and the medicine he'll need to hang on while I find a way to get my cousin the transplant he deserves.
When I told my friend that, she asked why I thought he deserved it? At first, I thought it was an odd and maybe slightly callous question but in that moment I knew the answer. Because he never asked. Not once has he ever asked for help and I remember him telling my parents he didn't want to be a burden to his family. Can you imagine the humility and grace that requires? To accept at 31 year's old that you will likely never see 32 because you didn't win the genetic lottery ... because you were born in a country were hope is nowhere to be found for the poor and the forgotten. I want to show Vitaly that hope does exist ... even in the darkest corners of the world in our darkest moments, hope exists and he's not forgotten.
And maybe selfishly, I hope my actions will inspire others to pay attention to those around them in need. We get so caught up in our daily lives that we forget that to someone, anything may be everything. I feel guilty asking others for money, but I feel more guilty living a blessed life that Vitaliy will never know. So for this brief moment in time, I want to show him that he's not forgotten, he's not forsaken and hope is not bound by geography or station in life. I want to see my cousin smile again and God willing, maybe he'll have the strength one day to spin me in the air.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your help.
With love and hope,
Anastasia
Organizer
Galyna Balatsky
Organizer
Morganville, NJ
