A typical toddler would have story times, parent and tot activities and playdates to sail through the dark, gloomy, and cold days of Canadian winter.
However, for Dion Berisha, a two-year-old boy from Kosovo, the days are pretty much about eating, indoor restive playtime with family, nap time, and just repeating the cycle over and over again as the family waits to arrange for critical medical treatment for the child.
The young Berisha is currently residing in Mississauga with his parents, Sabri and Valbona Berisha, as visitors, hoping to receive treatment for multiple medical conditions. Valbona's sister and her family are hosting them to navigate this critical phase, while the larger Albanian community led by an Oakville-based law firm is mobilizing support to raise funds for the treatment.
Since his birth in 2021, Dion has had several critical health conditions which compelled him to make multiple hospital stays for immediate medical attention. The fundraising campaign mentions, "his health struggles include issues related to his heart, aortic arch, coronary sinus, and a colon condition."
Dion's family had to make the difficult choice of leaving their home country and coming to Canada to provide him with specialized medical care. The family wants the child to receive a series of colon surgeries, which are not readily available in Kosovo.
"This colon condition has left him weak, unable to stand up for long or even sit down. We keep him indoors because of his low immunity," the mother said.
For the family, the journey is not about just accessing the Canadian healthcare system. They need $80,000 to cover the cost of surgeries, medical treatments, and hospital expenses.
Brace Law, based in Oakville has stepped in to assist the Berisha family with immigration matters and raise funds.
"As I am also Albanian, the family had wanted to contact me for a while as they had heard that I am one of the Albanian lawyers that deal with immigration. As soon as I sat with Valbona and her sister, I could not turn down the matter as it impacted me differently," said Lusi Brace of Brace Law. Brace has two children, her oldest being around Dion's age.
"I understand the struggle going through the hospitals in Kosovo and Albania. Although I cannot relate, I understood the pain, worry and stress of dealing with a sick child," Brace added.
Soon after, she spoke to some of her Albanian clients and mobilized the community to come together and raise money "because it shows that we Albanians really thrive in times of need."
The fundraising campaign aims to rally support for the family during this critical time. The campaign description mentions that the contributions "will go towards covering the costs of Dion's medical procedures, surgeries and hospital stays."