Jadzia does not have to be condemned to disability ... Let's save her leg!

“You can't play with us 'cause you've got a weird leg!” – when I heard that, my heart sank. Children can be painfully honest sometimes. I was afraid that my little girl would feel hurt, that she'd cry. But Jadzia responded that her leg was normal, she just had a Turbo-shoe! She's still too little to understand that cruel fate looms over her... However, we've got a chance to save her leg! We must do everything we can to take advantage of it because without surgery, Jadzia's fate is sealed...

Today, Jadzia is only 2.5 years old. Ever since she was born, we've done everything not to make her feel like she was worse than others. Right now, she's still unaware of her defect and – despite her shorter leg – she does her best to manage somehow. She takes off her heavy orthosis and catches her balance, barely supporting herself on her big toe and constantly breaking her nails, and we can't get rid of her painful corns caused by unnatural bending of her toes. But in a month or two, she won't be able to reach the ground anymore... Then, it'll keep getting worse...

We painted the heavy, bulky orthosis in clouds. We told Jadzia that it would make her reach the sky! We don't want our little girl to suffer, to be pointed fingers at... And that's why, even though it's hard, we're asking for your help. The first surgery at Dr Paley's clinic in the USA has to be performed no later than on 16 January! Without it, the path to physical fitness will be closed off...

Smiling, lively, smart – Jadzia charms everyone. She wants to be the first to do and try everything; she's our brave little spark. Only her leg keeps making it harder for her to explore the world...

It wasn't until two weeks after she'd been born that my husband and I realised that something was wrong. Neither the doctors nor the nurses had told us about that – they'd discharged us from the hospital with a healthy baby. At some point, we noticed that Jadzia's left leg was different. We became anxious, but we thought it was just some hip problems and rehabilitation would solve the issue... Unfortunately, reality turned out to be much more brutal.

After more examinations, the doctor didn't want to tell us anything; for the first time, we were terrified. He urgently sent us to the hospital. There, I heard the words that make my blood run cold to this day: “So you didn't know you'd given birth to a cripple?”. It was like a slap in my face, all the more brutal as the words referred to my child...

Suddenly, our life turned upside-down. I realised how bad it was when we were standing in a queue for a disability certificate... We began desperately seeking some hope for Jadzia, who – as it turned out – had been born with a rare left leg defect – proximal femoral focal deficiency. Her leg is smaller, thinner and poorly supplied with blood; on top of that, it grows much more slowly. Today, the difference is already as high as 8cm (3.15in.)! It will eventually reach 30cm (1ft.)!

After weeks of looking for doctors and specialists, we found online some information on Dr Paley, the creator of a method for operating limb defects in children, exactly like the one our Jadzia has! On Facebook, we came across the parents of other children with similar defects, who also spoke well of that doctor. It turned out that Dr Paley was just coming to Poland for consultation! A few months ago, we went to Skierniewice so that Dr Paley could personally examine our Jadzia. Then, it turned out that our little girl's ankle bone was malformed as well...

However, we were given hope – Dr Paley is able to operate on Jadzia and make her leg longer and fully functional! 4 surgeries await her. The first one has to be performed in January, right after Jadzia's third birthday. That's the deadline! Unfortunately, the costs are shocking – we need approx. 750,000 zł (€174,000) right now! We're running out of time to collect money for the first surgery and many-months rehabilitation in the USA, even though it's Jadzia's only chance...

If we could, we would give our little girl our health. Recently, her older sister Helenka asked me why God was so unfair, why little children had to suffer so much... I replied that everyone has some illness; she has an allergy and Jadzia has a short leg; that there are children who are even more ill... Helenka said that she wanted to swap illnesses with her sister because she was older and could manage having such a leg. She didn't want other children to laugh at her little sister or to pick on her...

We take no offence with God or the fate – we know that we have to make it through. Jadzia can't read yet, but she loves to look at the pictures in the children's Bible. Her favourite parable is the one where Jesus heals a little girl... We yearn for a miracle, but today, we can't make this miracle come true without you!

We would be very grateful for your help. We know that only together can we grant Jadzia a healthy leg and give her a chance for physical fitness! If tens of thousands of people – the population of an average town – each gave Jadzia the equivalent of a cup of coffee drank at a cafe, our little girl could have her first surgery in the USA that would open the doors to her physical fitness! We believe we can do it, as this belief gives us the strength to soldier on. Jadzia herself gives us an even greater strength. Especially when she says that she wants to be a superheroine when she grows up... We hope she'll be successful in life thanks to your help – on her own two feet!

Please help our little girl. We can't do it without you! Your single payment can really change Jadzia's entire life now.

Joanna - mother of Unstoppable Jadzia!