Hello, my name is Marina Stepanenko. I am the mother of a four-and-a-half-year-old boy named Daniel, who is facing a severe medical condition. My pregnancy was complicated by Rh incompatibility, requiring five intrauterine blood transfusions for my baby, followed by two more right after he was born.

Within just three days of birth, my little boy became almost unresponsive—his gaze went blank, and his body turned completely limp. We immediately began intensive medical evaluations and started daily rehabilitation. We pursued every option evidence-based medicine had to offer, and our efforts paid off: by nine months, Daniel had caught up with his peers and was cleared neurologically. He hit all his developmental milestones on time, and by eighteen months, he was already speaking in short sentences.

Then, out of nowhere, everything changed. Over the course of a single month, and for no clear reason, Daniel lost everything he had learned. He suffered a rapid, step-by-step regression. First, he stopped speaking in sentences and went back to baby babbling. Soon after, he forgot how to eat with a spoon and lost his toilet training. He retreated into his own world, completely losing interest in his toys and books.

After extensive testing, Daniel was diagnosed at two and a half with autism, with clinicians also suspecting childhood disintegrative disorder. The specialist concluded that heavy doses of dexamethasone combined with my high-risk pregnancy had caused central nervous system damage, triggering this sudden decline. We were told there was no cure—only long-term, daily ABA therapy to manage his symptoms, alongside vitamin supplements. The doctor was honest with us: another regression could happen at any time, and there is no way to prevent it.

Since that day, we have worked with a therapist every single day. Because state support for this type of therapy isn't available in Moldova, we paid for everything ourselves from our modest savings, including consultations with top specialists.

The therapy made a real difference. By age four, Daniel learned to feed himself, ask for the potty, dress on his own, ride a bike, and even showed an impressive aptitude for math and logic. Yet in many other ways, his overall development remained that of a two-year-old.

At four and a half, Daniel suffered a sudden, unexplained neurological event similar to a seizure. Local doctors were unable to diagnose or explain what had happened, which prompted us to seek answers abroad. On July 30, a foreign specialist examined Daniel and concluded that while the episode wasn't immediately life-threatening, his original diagnosis was incorrect. He emphasized that Daniel urgently needs a comprehensive medical workup to identify the underlying organic cause of his condition and establish proper treatment.

On August 28, the hospital accepted Daniel for admission on October 16 and issued a pre-payment estimate of €3,500.

This news brings both tremendous hope, as well as overwhelming heartache. We finally have a chance to address the root cause of his condition rather than just managing symptoms, but our family simply does not have the funds, nor can we raise that amount in six weeks. Years of medical care have drained everything we had. We are deep in debt, with nothing left to sell. That is why I am turning to you for help. I am begging you to give my son a chance at a future. We have nowhere else to turn, and time is running out for Daniel to lead a normal life.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking the time to read our story.

Sincerely, Marina Stepanenko