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An Unlucky Girl Julia...

December 5, 2011, 12:30 3054 Author: Iryna Gavrisheva, translated by Daria Sukach www.deti.zp.ua Julia Kovdrya will celebrate her 25th birthday on the 29th of December. On her birthday, let us eliminate the constant fear that her life could end at any moment…

“A sudden cardiac death” is a medical term. For example, a person walks along the street or lies on the sofa reading a book, and all of a sudden, his or her heart stops, leaving the outcome solely to luck. If you’re resuscitated it means you’re lucky, if not – then you’ve died. Our young lady Julia Kovdrya is one of those who may fortunately be called “lucky”. She overcame a number of sudden deaths. Her heart stopped several times, but she always had someone by her side who saved her. And later, for five years, her rescuer was a little device, namely an implanted cardioverter-defribillator that through electrical jolts ‘restarted’ her heart. Actually, we can call Julia a lucky girl because it’s already been 15 years since her first arrhythmia attack.

Most patients with long-term QT syndrome (LQTS) die during the first heart attack. They suddenly faint and die…There are many Ukrainian pupils who die during physical training classes, and most of them had LQTS without even being aware of it. Only very few patients diagnosed with this rare heart disorder manage to outsmart death and regularly come back to life. That’s why Julia is definitely lucky!

But Julia is not not so lucky in other respects. For example, she is not lucky to be born with QT syndrome in Ukraine. Her motherland can only treat people who have money. Julia is not lucky that her parents are not millionaires who can easily take 14,883 US dollars from their wallets and buy a new cardioverter-defribillator. And what’s worse, the battery for her life-saving device has completely discharged and no longer provides power just at the moment when the Ukrainian government stopped providing new devices free of charge. Finally, Julia is not lucky that her age and attractive looks deter donors from supporting her. Since the time Julia’s appeal for help was published on the website, we have hardly raised 1,490 US dollars. Julia faces a disadvantage as donors prefer to help bald little children rather than a seemingly vibrant young adult, who walks along the seashore. And even though this doesn’t come as a surprise, it doesn’t make Julia feel any better.

Therefore, there’s nothing left to do but hope for ‘good luck’ — that Julia’s story will touch many hearts that will respond to her appeal and help her purchase a new cardioverter-defribillator. And there’s still hope that Julia will stay alive by the time of her surgery. There’s hope that she won’t get any heart attack. She’s hoping and waiting….And even if she is not so lucky and her heart suddenly stops again, hopefully there will be someone around who’ll bring her back to life again. Although Julia has been lucky, my heart sinks at the thought that her life depends on this good luck. What if her luck should run out? It grieves me so; I can’t bear to think of it.

Julia will celebrate her 25th birthday on the 29th of December. I wish so much that on her birthday party she will finally be free of this constant and paralyzing fear that her life may end at any moment. I really want to know that Julia will celebrate many more birthdays. I wish her true love and lots of travels instead of good luck in her game against death. I want it so badly! If you have the same wish, let’s help this young lady! Her life is in our hands! Even the smallest donation of a dollar may be the best gift for her coming birthday! Have you ever presented “life” to anyone? If not, you still have the chance to make this unusual present. And our lucky girl Julia will be very grateful to you!

The telephone number of Julia’s mother Svetlana - +38 067 73 82 661

You can make donations for Julia Kovdrya’s treatment. The transfer details can be found at the help appeal page.

For further information please contact the volunteers of “The Happy Child” Foundation

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