Milen is a 12-year-old 6th grader who lives with his Mom and older sister, Melisa. He was born with a birth defect called Spina Bifida which caused severe problems with how his spine developed. He is paralyzed from the waist down on one side and confined to his wheelchair for mobility. There is also a shunt in his head to drain excess spinal fluid from his brain. It is a life-long condition with no cure and sadly, as Milen’s body grows, the complications from this disorder will only increase over time.
Milen’s family, friends and his love for music, stay positive through the numerous surgeries he has undergone since birth. He can often be found singing a few verses of “Country Road” when he is feeling down or inpatient for another hospital stay. He can brighten an entire room with his smile and loves to be social and tell jokes. Many people who know Milen refer to him as a superhero because of his powerful ability to put a smile on his face despite his struggles.
Milen is fundraising for an accessible van for him and his family. The commute to CHOP in Philadelphia is all too frequent for him and his family. He has had two surgeries in the past two years that required months of inpatient stays at the hospital. At this point the family van is constantly breaking down. Since they are a single income household with a mortgage and dozens of other costs, financing will be a tough road. A new accessible van will also help Milen to improve his quality of life. He is limited in how often he can go out because he needs someone to be able to completely lift his weight. Mom, Mira is the main lifter in the family, and it has taken a massive physical toll as Milen’s body grew over the years. An accessible van which allows Milen to use his powerchair to enter the van at ground level and be lifted up will greatly increase opportunities for activities, outings, travel and for Milen to simply be a 12-year-old kid.
Being limited to a power wheelchair, mobility has always been a struggle, but things became even worse after a necessary surgery in October 2022 which resulted in even more complications including swelling around his brain. This caused speech delays, hearing loss and vision issues which profoundly impacted his ability to communicate and socialize. In addition, Milen now has over a dozen metal rods in his spine that cause even more limitations with his ability to move around. Just a few of the things he deals with on a daily basis are severe headaches, pressure sores, circulation issues, compression fractures.
Milen hopes an accessible van will improve his quality of life directly through increased independence and opportunities to get out of the house. He also hopes to see improvement indirectly by relieving some physical stress from his Mom. To others, Milen is a superhero, but to Milen the real superhero is his Mom who is constantly focused on his care.
Please donate to help Milen today through Help Hope Live and ask your friends and family to donate as well. You will be making a significant difference in the life of a boy who simply wants to experience the world outside of the constraints of Spina Bifida. Thank you for reading and much love to all. Please always remember that when we work together, we are never alone!
Thank you for your generous support!
Family and friends of Milen Kichukov are raising money for the nonprofit Help Hope Live to fund uninsured medical expenses associated with Catastrophic Illness.
Milen has chosen to fundraise for Help Hope Live in part because Help Hope Live assures fiscal accountability of funds raised and tax deductibility for contributors. Contributors can be sure donations will be used to pay or reimburse medical and related expenses. To make a tax-deductible donation to this fundraising campaign, click on the Give button.
For more information, please contact Help Hope Live at 800.642.8399.
Thank you for your support!
