PROtegni raka > The Children

Daria Georgieva, 4 years old

At the age of 2 months, Daria was found to lack stable visual function and head control. She was diagnosed with background retinopathy, a condition in which light does not reach the retina because of bleeding from the retinal blood vessels. In addition, she was diagnosed with Canavan disease, a rare inherited degenerative disease that progressively damages the ability of nerve cells (neurons) in the brain to communicate. Infants with this condition typically do not develop motor skills such as the ability to control their head movements, sit unsupported and roll over, and have poor muscle tone and an abnormally large head (macrocephaly). This can lead to eating and swallowing difficulties. It can also cause seizures, blindness and sleep problems. Children born with the neonatal form of Canavan disease (like Daria) rarely survive into adolescence. The girl is severely disabled, lacks motor skills, head control, cannot see, speak or understand human speech. PROtegni Raka covered the cost of purchasing a verticalizer suitable for her needs.

The Children

Plamena Dimitrova, 8 years old

There are two sets of twins in Plamena’s family. Her twin brother died shortly after birth, and Plamena was found to be completely blind. In the other pair of twins, one of the children has a disability as well. Plamena has intact cognitive capacity and has developed very strong echolocation skills. When she enters an unfamiliar place, she stomps her feet or claps her hands to orient herself to the approximate size and location of objects in the room. The camera with special software for blind children, which Plamena’s parents have bought for her, is attached to special glasses and scans the objects in the surrounding area. It can recognise faces, products, money signs, road signs and read from paper and electronic surfaces, including in Bulgarian. The camera is operated intuitively. It is also equipped with self-learning artificial intelligence that helps people with impaired eyesight increase their daily productivity by up to 60 %. PROtegni Raka is funding part of the cost of the camera, which will help Plamena lead a fuller life.

The Children

Nora Baleva, 8 years old

Nora was born pre-term with normal weight but had a very difficult delivery. She was born with severe asphyxia, a condition characterised by a disruption or cessation of breathing, resulting in inadequate oxygenation of the blood and leading to oxygen starvation of the tissues. An insufficient supply of oxygen to the brain quickly leads to irreversible brain damage. She had to be placed in a neonatal incubator for 14 days. Nora has been diagnosed with a severe mental disability and has very low blood pressure and seizures. Her mother looks after her and her younger sister on her own, as Nora is unable to support herself and cannot sit up. PROtegni Raka has financed the purchase of a wheelchair designed for children with disabilities that is suitable for her needs.

The Children

Mihail Milchovsky, 8 years old

Mihail was born pre-term in 2015, with a very low weight at birth and his mother having had an infection during the pregnancy. He was seriously ill and needed to be ventilated, and was subsequently diagnosed with cerebral palsy and epilepsy. The seizures and medication necessary to treat his condition have severely set back his development and he is unable to sit or walk. Although his ongoing rehabilitation was interrupted for a long time because of COVID-19, once it was resumed, Mihail made rapid cognitive progress, began to say more words, his eye contact improved and he is now able to better use his hands. He grew in height, which caused problems with muscle and ligament problems and necessitated surgery to relax his legs. PROtegni Raka financed the purchase of a wheelchair designed for children with disabilities, which is suitable for his age and needs.