Project Update 20.04.2017

We are very excited to announce that, with your support, we have raised the goal of $3,258- the remaining amount that was required to fund Liza’s rehabilitation. Get well Liza!!!

About this project

We are announcing an URGENT fundraiser for the rehabilitation of Liza Glazunova, a delightful girl who has just turned 11 years old. Half a year ago, Liza has suddenly stopped talking and swallowing. The primary diagnosis is encephalomyelopolyradiculoneuritis (encephalitis + myelitis + polyradiculoneuritis/Guillain Barré Syndrome) of a viral origin.

This is Liza’s story shared by her mother, Svetlana:
“On the 25th of September, Liza became unwell. She complained of weakness, nasal congestion and had a fever. I have called the ambulance and Liza was taken to one of the hospitals in Moscow. On the 28th of September, Liza developed severe headache, difficulty breathing and swallowing. Soon after that, she stopped responding to my phone calls (parents were not allowed to visit their children at the hospital). The medical team has assured me that there are no problems with Liza’s health and that her health issues are related to her emotional wellbeing.
On the 30th of September, I received a phone call from a woman who stayed in the same ward as my daughter with her young child. She told me that Liza is extremely unwell- she hardly gets up, has difficulty breathing, is unable to eat or even drink. The doctors have not been visiting her for the past two days. Straight away, I went to that hospital and demanded to see my child. I was refused access to her. After a long argument, I was told that my daughter is completely healthy and that she will now be discharged. When I saw my daughter sitting in a wheelchair, I was shocked. She was very weak and could only stand with support. Her head was tilted to the side, she was salivating, and was unable to say anything coherent. I called for an ambulance as soon as we left and they took Liza to another hospital.
Liza’s health continued to deteriorate. She stopped swallowing and had to be tube-fed. Liza was connected to ventilation machine as she could no longer breathe independently. The doctors appeared to do everything possible, yet, Liza failed to get any better. Following a surgery on her throat, she lost her voice and could no longer talk, breath or swallow without external support. She was also unable to use her bladder and bowel. Liza spent a month in the Intensive Care unit until the 8th of November. Due to a lack of progress, she was transferred to a specialised medical centre for children for continued treatment.
Liza was once again placed in the intensive care department. For the whole week since the intake, Liza had a very high temperature and her body was covered in a rash. She still could not talk or swallow independently and could only communicate using gestures. Nothing seemed to make her feel better. The only achievement was to gradually wean her from the breathing support. As a complication to the tube feeding (fitted through the nose), Liza has developed stomach ulcers. Subsequently, we had to stop the tube-feeding and get a stoma. Liza was discharged from the hospital on the 15th of December with little improvement.
I am currently at home, taking care of Liza. She was granted a disability status. I had to quit my job in November 2016 in order to take full time care of my daughter. Liza is dependent on the bronchial suction machine, where I have to repeat the procedure every 15-30 minutes. She continues to be fed through the stoma. In February 2017, we were lucky to get in for treatment at the Scientific Research Institute of Acute Children’s Surgery and Rehabilitation. All the disposable medical supplies required for Liza’s treatment (tubes, aspirator parts, care products) I have to purchase myself. Given that I no longer work, our only source of income is my daughter’s disability pension.” At present, Liza’s mother is raising funds for a three-week rehabilitation at the “Three Sisters” clinic. The overall cost of the rehabilitation is 413,700 roubles (approx. 9,728 AUD). More than a half of this amount has already been raised and transferred to the clinic’s account. We need to raise the remaining 136, 400 roubles (approx. 3, 250 AUD) and we only have 5 DAYS before the entire payment is due! For Liza, this rehabilitation will provide an opportunity for maximum recovery and will give her a chance to restore her health. You can support Liza by transferring your donation to our PayPal account, referencing “Liza G”. Let’s help this beautiful girl return to a normal life!