Elena Fomina lives in Poland with her son. Although he is now an adult, he has had a disability since childhood and requires constant care. Elena has lost her stable job, takes on occasional work, and looks after her son full-time. She needs support to continue his treatment, keep their home, and overcome their financial crisis.
In Belarus, Elena was involved in volunteer work. She helped people outside the Minsk temporary detention facility and took part in collecting and delivering assistance to political prisoners. When several volunteers she knew were arrested, Elena realized she could no longer risk her own freedom or her son's well-being. She left for Ukraine, hoping to return home soon.
In Kyiv, she continued helping Belarusians who had recently fled the country. However, after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Elena was forced to leave for Poland, where she was granted protection status.
In Poland, Elena found stable employment working for a family. But when they moved away, she was left without a steady income. Around the same time, her son's condition deteriorated dramatically.
“At one point, we reached a breaking point,” Elena recalls. “My son went through enormous stress during our move to Poland. He started having panic attacks. We sought help from a psychiatrist and he was prescribed antidepressants. But eventually he developed severe tics.”
According to Elena, during the worst period her son could barely eat or drink. He struggled to swallow even water, bit his tongue, found it difficult to breathe, and suffered from attacks and spasms. At that time, she could not leave him alone even for a few minutes.
“For an entire month, when he was in that condition, I couldn't leave the apartment or even the room. He held my hand constantly. I slept beside him in the same bed, holding him.”
Because of his illness and disability, her son requires constant support. Legally he is an adult, but in reality his mother must remain by his side at all times: monitoring his treatment, helping him during attacks, accompanying him to medical appointments, and taking care of all daily needs.
His condition has now become somewhat more stable, but his treatment is ongoing and requires time, money, and constant supervision.
“Little by little, we're trying to rebuild our lives,” Elena says. “We just need to get through this period until I can find a permanent job. We have to continue the treatment.”
The biggest challenge is that, under public health insurance, waiting times to see a specialist are extremely long, while psychiatric care is urgently needed now. A single consultation with a specialist cost the family 500 PLN. According to Elena, they have already spent around 4,000 PLN on medication. In addition, during the most difficult period, her son was unable to eat regular food and required special nutritional products.
Elena has found a job for three days a week, but her income only covers the most urgent expenses. She still has to pay rent, buy food and medication, and continue her son's treatment. She stresses that she is not asking others to support her indefinitely. She needs help now – to keep their home, continue her son's treatment, and get through this crisis until she is able to work more.
Fundraising goal
€4700
€1900 – rent and utility bills for the next three months
€2000 – consultations and ongoing treatment with a specialist
€800 – medication and special nutritional products for her son