Sarah Aleikish

Apel

Sarah was born in 2021 with a very rare neurological disorder called hemimegalencephaly, combined with cortical dysplasia, polymicrogyria, and pachygyria. These conditions caused her to develop drug-resistant epilepsy, meaning that eventually no medication will be able to control her seizures. According to doctors in Poland, only at that stage will she qualify for an extremely complicated surgery to disconnect half of her brain. This procedure could leave her with additional physical and vision impairments, and it may also permanently take away her ability to speak. Unfortunately, only one hospital in Poland performs this surgery, and only a very small number of cases are accepted.

From the very beginning, Sarah experienced developmental delays. Before her first birthday, she had her first major seizure and was prescribed her first anti-epileptic medication. While it helped for a short time, it caused severe side effects. Doctors did not agree to change her treatment until the medication stopped working. Since then, she has been placed on a second, third, fourth, fifth, and now a sixth medication. Currently, Sarah is taking three different drugs. Sadly, only one is covered by the government; the rest must be paid for out of pocket, and they are extremely expensive.

Sarah has been in physiotherapy since infancy due to right-sided hemiplegia. She is also significantly delayed in speech compared to other children her age.

We have been fighting for her for almost four years now. Only one parent is able to work, as Sarah requires constant care.

With your donations, we will be able to cover the costs of Sarah’s therapy sessions, assistive tools, medications, countless doctor visits, expensive tests (such as video EEG, MRIs, and genetic testing), as well as travel and accommodation for hospital stays.

We are deeply grateful for any help you can give us during this difficult time.