Karolina Protsenko, born 23.12.2020
Diagnosis: Alopecia areata.
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A year ago, illness came into the life of five-year-old Karolina — alopecia. Because of it, the girl has almost completely lost her hair.
At first, small patches of hair loss appeared on her head, which quickly increased in size. The cause of the disease is still unknown. Doctors suggest it could have been triggered by COVID-19 or severe stress.
The family went through a long course of treatment in their hometown of Zaporizhzhia: monthly examinations, numerous tests, medications, vitamins, and hormonal creams. Unfortunately, despite all efforts, the disease progressed and eventually developed into total alopecia.
When Karolina lost almost all her hair within a year, the family turned to doctors at the Kyiv children's hospital “Okhmatdyt.” There, she was prescribed treatment with “Xeljanz” — an immunosuppressant that suppresses the immune system which mistakenly attacks hair follicles. Initially, doctors prescribed two packages of the medication to evaluate the effectiveness of the therapy.
The cost of one package is 16,000 UAH (approximately 380 US dollars), which is a significant amount for a displaced family. We have already purchased the first package so Karolina could begin treatment as soon as possible. The second one is needed by the end of April.
Karolina loves creating beauty — she draws and does makeup for her dolls. She also loves riding her scooter and dreams that the wind will once again play with her hair. She truly believes it will grow back and everything will be as before. Please support Karolina — help her continue treatment and bring back her childhood joy.
