Pete nearly died during his birth...His Mom is a lone parent. Please help!

I am struggling for the life of my son, Pete. The day he was born was just this close to being the day of two tragic deaths – his and mine. A normal childbirth, the doctor said. But it was not to be … Pete was born barely alive. He survived but death has left him severely disabled. I am his mom, a lone parent. And I am begging you for help for I have no choice. I am trying to give him a chance to live normally and this will not be possible if you turn your back on us!

I was expecting to have a healthy baby and a complete family. Well, if you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans, they say … Now, there are only the two of us: Pete – who is entirely dependent on another person’s care, and me, his mom. My son suffers from epilepsy, cerebral palsy, impaired vision … I am with him 24/7.

The day he was born has finally stopped recurring in my dreams. I have stopped thinking what things would have been like, if only… There is no point, really. It was a textbook pregnancy, the baby stuff was ready. And then, in a single moment – the end: home alone, I am bleeding, hardly managing to dial 112. Placental disruption. Pete is not getting enough blood and not enough oxygen, he is resuscitated for 45 minutes. Then he is intubated for several days …

At that instant, the life I had known just ended and began the life I have been living ever since – that of the mother of a severely disabled boy. My life now is subordinated to caring for Pete. And no, this is not a sacrifice. He is my beloved child, the light of my life and my everything. I would give Pete the world if I could but my love is not enough, it will not make my son a healthy boy …

Pete has been rehabilitated by a physiatrist ever since he was three months old. All the things that other children have no problems with Pete is able to attain only through hard, painful, intensive rehabilitation. The worst of all is his epilepsy, because it is a life threatening condition. Every seizure is very harmful because it damages his brain. Every seizure causes helplessness and despair as I watch Pete’s stiff and twisted body and look in his terrified eyes …

The one chance Pete has is a stem cell transplantation. The stem cells are to rebuild the damaged part of his brain and restore its functions. My son has been through 4 cycles of such treatment ... He no longer has epileptic seizures since the treatment … Pete is calm, more composed and focused now ... He is able to communicate, he can keep eye contact and pronounce syllables. When I think back of what his condition was only a few years ago, Pete seems quite a different child now.

But he needs more treatment! Pete is in his teens now. This is a very hard time for children with neurological problems, especially for those with epilepsy. Adolescence is the time when potential relapse is a real danger. Therefore, Pete needs the stem cells again.

Every seizure causes regression in a child’s development. It destroys the outcome of many years of hard work. It puts his life in jeopardy... Without the stem cells, Pete will have no chance to speak, no chance to walk, to do anything. His body will not listen to him, leaving his mother helpless, looking at his misfortune and unable to help. This is so frightful and I am feeling terrible asking you for help but I know there is no other way. My heart is bleeding as I am addressing you with this message: please, be our Benefactor and give Pete a chance...