Polina is from Volgodonsk - a small city located in southern Russia, nearby Rostov. Before the end of 2021, she was a cheerful and friendly little girl, until that unfortunate day when she experienced her first stroke. Regrettably, this has already happened three more times, and the root cause of all these strokes is the terrible illness called moyamoya. Polina is in desperate need of our help.

The first stroke had happened a few days before New Year's Eve of 2022, while Polina was waiting for gifts from Santa and preparing for the performance in kindergarten. Just a few days before that, she suffered a stroke and had to spend New Year's in the children's hospital. After a month of treatment, she was finally discharged and went back home, but sadly, she had a second stroke shortly after, which left her unable to speak, chew, and use her right hand.

Doctors diagnosed her with moyamoya disease - a rare chronic progressive condition affecting the blood vessels in the brain, leading to frequent and unpredictable strokes. Polina has already experienced four strokes, resulting in the loss of her ability to speak and take care of herself. Her motor skills in both hands are impaired. But the most alarming aspect is that the anterior vessels of her brain continue to close, putting her at constant risk of another stroke as long as her heart keeps beating.

Unfortunately, the medical help needed for Polina is not available in Russia. But thanks to your kind hearts, in November 2023, the girl underwent an examination at Children’s Hospital Zurich Moyamoya Center. It passed successful. The girl was scheduled for a highly complex surgery.