Private child-treatment fundraiser raises concerns among charities

A social media appeal to fund a child’s treatment has raised concerns among charities and prompted some people to question whether donations sent to a private account would be used for their stated purpose, LSM reported.

Tom Zaļevics asked social media personalities and other public figures to share his appeal for donations for his 10-month-old son. He is seeking about 200,000 US dollars. The WhyDonate fundraising page lists achondroplasia, a rare genetic condition, and Gilbert syndrome as diagnoses.

Zaļevics said treatment for the conditions was available only in the United States and could cost up to 200,000 dollars a year. He also said the family had spent two weeks in intensive care and that his son’s heart had stopped twice.

When Latvijas Televīzija asked him to discuss his son’s illness and to authorize the treating doctor to explain the need for donations, Zaļevics declined to share the child’s sensitive medical information. He said he would answer written questions that did not cross privacy boundaries or concern the child’s medical data, and that he had not authorized staff at BKUS to disclose information about his son’s health or diagnoses.

Charity Ziedot.lv said it was prepared to consider an application to organize a fundraiser after the family’s acquaintances passed on the information. The family has not contacted the organization.

A Ziedot.lv representative said the child’s illness and need for help were understandable, but the organization did not know what treatment was proposed or which medical institution had invited the family. The representative said anonymized information identifying the clinic and describing the proposed treatment and its cost could address questions.