Her only wish is to live…

And that’s what kept her spirit alive in the four-year long battle with a debilitating illness which eventually confined her to bed. Zaya was only 16 when first diagnosed with Rheumatoid arthritis. She fought hard, took her medications with faith, and graduated high school with honors. Unfortunately, her dreams and goals were cut short by the agonizing pain and side effects from medications. Large doses of antibiotics and pain medications have taken toll on her young body and have lead to other complications.

She recently suffered a stroke and spent 10 days in a coma. The relief her loved ones felt when she finally regained consciousness was soon replaced by dismay at the discovery of newly developed bedsores on her body by nurses’ negligence and lack of proper care. Left open and unattended, the lesions have progressed deeper into her flesh leaving gaping holes on her back and feet. Now she has lost feeling in one of her legs, can’t move her body, has to lie on her stomach and can’t sit up.

A true and full diagnosis is yet to be determined due to the limited expertise and lack of medical technology in Mongolia. Left to their own devices, her family is seeking treatment elsewhere. Two months have already passed since a positive response was received from a hospital in South Korea. The glimmer of hope has been interrupted by their lack of funds. Even after the 50% discount offered by the hospital, the cost of initial round of diagnosis and treatment comes to $10,000 which is hard to come by in that part of the world.

In April, Zaya’s sister started a blog called Desire to Live [lovelife.delhii.net] as an outlet for her pain and frustration in watching her baby sister wither away helplessly. Little did she know that one day her obscure little blog would be discovered by fellow bloggers and would move everyone to tears. Awed by Zaya’s unwavering faith in beating the illness, we got determined to find a solution to put an end to her suffering. On June 23, we celebrated her 20th birthday and delivered roses and gifts along with birthday wishes and heartwarming messages from our readers. The little act of kindness and support has become a source of renewed hope in Zaya’s heart. Now Zaya knows that she and her family are not alone in their struggle. To date, we raised $4100 in donations, but yet to reach the milestone.

Please help us grant her only wish… a wish to LIVE.