Zane needs surgery at the Stuttgart Clinic to be able to breathe on her own.
In the summer, this fragile and beautiful girl was 18 years old – an age when her heart is full of expectations and future plans. However, instead of romantic dreams, Zani was in shock – doctors stated that in her case (laryngeal disease) the only option was to insert a trachea or tracheostomy in the neck, which would allow Zane to breathe and speak freely.
When Zane looked on the Internet for what it was and what patients with such a tube looked like, she survived and cried so much that two weeks later she began to tangle her tufts of hair out of stress. Then Zane’s mother Sanita realized that she had to look for other, alternative ways to save her daughter. She sent her daughter’s documents to a clinic in Stuttgart that specializes in treating such diseases. To pay for the investigation, Sanita turned to the charity BeOpen. Shortly afterwards, the program “Green Lamp” was broadcast on radio Baltkom and the collection of donations was started to help Zane go to Germany. The required amount was collected in literally two days. Without hiding tears of emotion and gratitude, Zane admitted at the time that she had never experienced such strong emotions in her life.
In July, Zane went to a clinic in Stuttgart. German doctors conducted a full examination of Zane to understand how to help her radically solve her problem through surgery. The procedure was performed under general anesthesia. Zane was amazed at the care and attention the clinic staff had at him, as everyone tried to reassure and encourage her. Due to constant medical manipulations, Zane’s veins hurt a lot, every injection of medication in Latvia caused her torture. In Germany, on the other hand, Zane applied a special patch before each injection, thanks to which she did not feel any pain at all – everything went well.
During the full investigation, the doctors came to the conclusion that the only real way to return Zane’s voice and solve breathing problems is to perform airway widening and tracheal reconstruction surgery.
The clinic sent an estimate of treatment costs: 47,989.98 euros are needed to pay for the operation. Of the donations received in June, 12,423 EUR are still 6815 EUR after the payment of the first examinations. It means that Zane’s support requires 41,175 euros.
This time Zane will have to spend more time in Germany. During the reconstruction, she will have cartilage removed from her ribs, which will then be inserted into her airway to widen it.
In support of Zane Kuriņa, there is a donation phone of the program “Green Lamp” 90006384 (1.42 euros per call).
A donation account has been opened with the charity fund BeOpen to raise funds for the operation at the Stuttgart clinic. No interest or commissions are charged on donations. (Requisites for transfers – at the end of the publication).
Zane has many dreams. She likes to draw, make beautiful jewelry from beads. The girl adores roses and chocolate, but her favorite childhood tale is “King the Lion”. Zane still gently keeps her first toy – a plush lioness. As a child, she dreamed of a white horse, trying to persuade her mother to throw everything off the balcony, there would be enough space for the horse. Zane still loves music, she would love to sing and dance, but unfortunately it is not possible yet. Any intense or rapid movement hurts her and the girl starts to choke. Zane’s diagnosis is laryngeal papillomatosis, which causes her serious breathing problems and loss of voice.
From the age of 9 months, she undergoes periodic surgeries at the Children’s Clinical Hospital, cutting out papillomas. After the operation it becomes easier for a while, the condition stabilizes. She has to learn anew every time to breathe, move and talk. For this reason, Zane’s voice has changed, gaining a specific timbre. But time passes and the situation worsens again. And it all starts again. There is such an endless circle dance.
After Germany, the girl’s condition has improved. If before the trip to Stuttgart she had to have papillomas removed every two weeks, now – once a month. After the operation, Zane will be able to live peacefully for 6-7 months.
Zane has spent a lot of time at the Riga Children’s Clinical Hospital, so everyone here knows her well. Zane has been receiving regular treatment here for almost 18 years. He has been working with very good doctors since childhood, including the head of the department, Professor Jānis Sokolovs. However, such a complicated operation is not possible in Latvia. Therefore, the operation in Germany is the only real option for Zane.
One time, when Zane and her mother were in the hospital again, Zane was offered to participate in a “fairy tale” project. The children wrote fairy tales, but the most interesting ones were illustrated and published in separate books. Zane’s fairy tale is a story about a brave mermaid with a loving heart. The mermaid lives in an icy ocean and helps white bears and seals. When she is attacked by black polyps, she jumps out over the water, but there she has difficulty breathing. The fairy tale has a happy ending – a mermaid finds a magic pearl that fulfills all wishes. The mermaid turns into a girl and finds herself in a beautiful nursery among soft toys with family and friends. Then the mermaid realizes that she is able to live and breathe with a full breast.
Zane and her whole family very much hope that with the help of German doctors, not only the fairy tale she wrote, but also her future life will be happy.
This summer, Zane finished 11th grade. She has many friends, plans and interests. For a moment, Zane wanted to become a pediatrician treating the neck. Then he decided to study media technology and art, but when he went to a psychologist, he decided to study to be a psychologist. Everything is still ahead of her, but now the main thing is to win the disease.
Zane has a younger brother Normunds, he is 13 years old. Sanita was very afraid of giving birth again after all her experiences with her daughter. She and her husband were supposed to be twins, but only one of the two babies survived the complications. Sanita did not work for long, spending time at home with her baby and then another six-year-old girl who needed constant care. She then received and got a job as a babysitter in kindergarten. Went to study, obtained a bachelor’s degree in preschool pedagogy. Sanita currently works in a kindergarten, a specialized group attended by children with developmental disabilities. The work is not easy, but Sanita likes it very much. She feels it is her calling.
The whole family dreams that Zane will succeed. But we can help this beautiful girl, who is so much like a mermaid, to save her voice and start breathing normally on her own without a tracheostomy.
How to help
To pay for the airway enlargement operation at the Stuttgart clinic, 41,175 euros are still needed. Reconstruction of the trachea will allow the girl to start breathing independently.
Donation phone 90006384 (1.42 euros per call) works in support of Zane Kuriņa until November 16. The charity BeOpen has also opened a special donation account to pay for Zane’s operation at the Stuttgart clinic.
BeOpen Charitable Foundation
Registration number. 50008218201
Accounts no. LV59 CBBR 1123 2155 000 10
Bank’s SWIFT code: CBBRLV22
Purpose of the donation: Help for Zane Kuriņa
No interest or commissions are charged on donations.
Charity author’s program “Green light” scan radio Baltkom 93.9 FM on air every Tuesday at 12.00. The program is created in cooperation with the charity foundation BeOpen.
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