In this world, nothing can deter a determined mother from wanting the best for her child. Even when faced with a thousand obstacles, a mother’s heart remains a blend of boundless love and unwavering courage, especially when her little one battles a rare and challenging condition.
This powerful testament to maternal love shines through the story of Valéria Fehlberg da Silva, a housewife whose 6-year-old daughter, Rillari, is bravely confronting Edwards syndrome, also known as Trisomy 18. This rare condition comes with developmental delays and a significantly reduced life expectancy, presenting a daunting challenge to both mother and child.
Edwards syndrome manifests with symptoms such as low birth weight, an unusually shaped head, and organ defects. Regrettably, Rillari bears the burden of these symptoms, but her mother, Valéria, has never wavered in her support. In fact, she has only grown stronger in her determination to provide for Rillari and her three older siblings.
Due to the demanding nature of Rillari’s care, Valéria does not work outside the home. However, she has ingeniously found ways to generate income from the comfort of her home. Since 2017, Da Silva has been selling dolls crafted by a talented artisan friend. Realizing the potential, she expanded her skills and began crafting these dolls herself.
Now, Valéria dedicates herself to creating rag dolls, and by March, she had crafted around 200 of them. Her hope was to raise funds for Rillari’s treatment through the sale of these dolls in a small event bearing her daughter’s name.
Sadly, on the day of the event, not a single person attended, not even the volunteers who had pledged their support. As one can imagine, this heartbreaking turn of events left Valéria disheartened, as she had aimed to raise enough funds to purchase a $2,300 mechanical respirator for Rillari and an adapted chair to make her life more comfortable.
According to Valéria, this unfortunate outcome might have resulted from a misunderstanding. She shared her perspective on social media, saying, “I think there was a communication failure between them. I produced twice what I produce per month. The intention was to sell the 200 dolls to buy a mechanical respirator for my daughter.”
Though it appears Valéria may have resolved the communication issue with the event volunteers, the event’s cancellation left her with a surplus of dolls to sell, and her daughter still in need of vital equipment like the respirator, chair, diapers, and cereal.
Yet, amidst the challenges, there is a silver lining. The event’s failure connected Valéria with kind-hearted individuals who initiated a charity campaign on social media to raise the necessary funds for Rillari’s essential needs.
We have faith that more compassionate hearts will join this campaign, share Rillari’s story, and help us rally support to ensure that this brave little girl receives the care she needs to move forward.
