Hello, my name is Asandulesei Ana-Maria and I am 32 years old. My story begins when I was 7 years old; from that moment on, my whole life was about to change.

When I finished Year 1, I began to notice that I was losing mobility in my right leg and it had started to turn inwards. My parents noticed that it was getting worse, so we moved to Constanța – we were originally from Vaslui – and the doctor diagnosed me with spastic tetraparesis. So I finished Year 2, and I had my first operation on my right leg. The doctor noticed that my left leg was also starting to turn inwards like the right one, so he operated on the left one too. Up until Year 5, I kept having operations on my legs, totalling 13 in all. Over the years, the condition worsened and I began to lose mobility in my right hand; out of necessity, as I was a schoolgirl, I started learning to write with my left hand. When the doctor saw that the condition was spreading, he sent me to Bucharest, to Obregia Hospital. There I met a doctor, a wonderful woman who I can say saved me. After many tests, she told me that I was actually suffering from DYT1 generalised muscular dystonia, a rare condition.

As she was attending more and more conferences abroad, she sent me to Munich, Germany, to see what could be done, because by the time I was in Year 8, the condition had worsened so much that it was becoming increasingly difficult for me to walk, write, eat or look after myself. It was hard for us; we were renting, and my father left us when things were at their worst, so my mother was left alone with two children, one of whom was ill and needed her care because the condition was taking its toll on me.

Despite my problems, I didn’t give up; I fought on, I kept going to school, I was a top student, and the headteacher, along with the husband of one of the teachers, were the angels sent by God to help me; they decided to get involved, to help me get better, so they started fundraising campaigns for me so I could raise the money to get to Germany, and with their help and that of the Good Lord, I made it there.

At the age of 16, I had brain surgery and they implanted a Medtronic DBS device, which has electrodes attached to my brain, connected by wires to a battery that sends impulses to the nerve centres so that I can move, get rid of the spasms and walk. After so many years of suffering, I was happy; my life had changed. I was able to manage on my own, go to secondary school by myself, and have a normal teenage life. For four years, I was fine, but after four years the battery ran out and I was bedridden again. Without this device, I am no longer a person, but with God’s help I managed to raise the money to fit a new battery, which was supposed to last between 10 and 15 years, and I don’t know how the years have passed, because this year it needs changing again...Through an acquaintance, I found out about Memorial Hospital in Turkey, where I went for tests, and they told me that when I have the money needed for the operation, I should go and have my battery replaced, because this year it needs to be replaced urgently, otherwise I will be bedridden again and dependent on my mother, who has always been and continues to be by my side. Once again, I need a sum of money to have it replaced, a sum that neither I nor my family have, as I am on a disability pension and my mum is on a carer’s allowance, this sum amounts to 23,000 euros plus other expenses involved in my recovery.I hope to have the operation this year; I don’t want the battery to run out before then. It’s difficult without this device, especially as it’s starting to run out; I’ve had problems with it, and there are times when walking becomes difficult, and when the battery runs out, I get muscle spasms and pain and am left bedridden.

This is what I need, and I sincerely hope you can help me get the surgery! Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart!!