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We are a Franco-Brazilian couple who have been living in Brazil for about ten years.
Our son, Gabriel, was born on April 6, 2025, in Fortaleza, in perfect health.
On April 28, he was hospitalized due to bronchiolitis.
We had private insurance that we thought was adequate. Unfortunately, no.
During this hospitalization, Gabriel contracted three hospital-acquired infections. He spent 90 days intubated, four months in intensive care, and had to be placed on ECMO (artificial lung) for five days to survive.
After five months in the hospital, Gabriel was able to return home on September 24, 2025, with a diagnosis of post-infectious bronchiolitis obliterans, accompanied by significant motor delay.
It is a rare chronic disease that destroys the small airways.
Today, Gabriel depends on oxygen, uses a non-invasive ventilation machine daily, and is fed via a gastric tube.
The good news is that he is still a baby. If he receives the necessary care and does not contract any infections during the next two years, his lungs can still create new respiratory passages. This could allow him, one day, to breathe without assistance.
Why are we asking for help?
We have private health insurance that we have been paying for two years, and we are in good standing.
Yet, despite official prescriptions from several specialists (pulmonologist, pediatrician, speech therapist, physiotherapists, nutritionist, neurologist), the insurance continues to refuse a large portion of the essential care Gabriel needs.
The case has been submitted to national mediation. The procedure is ongoing, but it may take several months.
In the meantime, we are doing everything to give Gabriel the best chances to develop. The first two years are crucial for his future, so we are funding everything ourselves.
We have already sold some of our belongings, left our home to live near hospitals, entrusted our pets to others, and reduced all our expenses to a minimum.
The situation is simple:
Today, our expenses exceed our income.
What insurance currently covers
The insurance covers:
- medical oxygen
- the non-invasive ventilation machine
- two daily sessions of classic respiratory physiotherapy
- three speech therapy sessions per week
- nutritional monitoring
- 2 doctor visits per month (which should be provided by a pediatrician, but this is not the case)
What specialists request but insurance denies
- 1 caregiver present 24/7 to prevent tube dislodgement, change dressings, administer medication and food, and allow us to continue to have a normal life and be able to work
- 5 motor physiotherapy sessions per week to catch up on the delay due to six months of hospitalization and sedation
- 2 occupational therapy sessions per week in addition to motor physiotherapy,
- 2 additional specialized respiratory physiotherapy sessions (NIV and RTA method),
- 2 additional speech therapy sessions per week to help him learn to eat quickly and remove the gastric tube as soon as possible,
- 1 monthly visit from a pediatrician, pulmonologist, gastroenterologist
- 1 quarterly visit from a neurologist
- essential medications for his chronic illness (Spiriva, Symbicort, Azithromycin),
- Neocate medical formula and MCT oil,
- protective equipment for specialists and for us (gloves, masks, gowns)
- 1 automatic feeding pump to regulate tube feeding (already purchased by us as it is crucial to prevent regurgitation and the risk of bronchoaspiration).
Monthly cost of uncovered care:
Approximately R$25,000/month (≈ €4,000) based on September and October 2025.
In addition to this, there are fixed costs:
- the rent for our temporary accommodation near the care facilities and utilities
- private health insurance
- additional insurance policies (with waiting periods) to allow us to leave the insurer that refuses to cover the care
- essential family expenses
- professional expenses necessary to run our respective activities
In reality, our monthly needs double when we include everything that allows us to stay afloat and continue with daily life.
How You Can Help Us
Many of you have been following our story for months.
You have seen Gabriel fight on the brink, then start breathing, smiling, playing, and progressing again.
Today, he needs this care to continue on this path and hope for a dignified life.
Several people suggested we create a fundraiser, which is why we created the association and this donation campaign.
Helping Gabriel means offering a baby who returned from the brink of death a real chance to grow, develop, and one day, live like other children!
Your donations allow us to fund everything the insurance refuses, despite prescriptions.
Below you will find the main itemized costs and the necessary monthly quantity in parentheses.
The amounts indicated are for reference only. You donate what you wish.
€20 / R$140
- One speech therapy session to help him learn to eat and remove the tube (8 sessions per month)
- One day of caregiver assistance (30 days and 30 nights per month)
€30 / R$200
-
One NIV respiratory physiotherapy session (8 per month)
-
One motor physiotherapy session (22 per month)
-
One occupational therapy session (8 per month)
€50 / R$300
-
One box of Spiriva (essential inhaled medication) (1 per month)
-
One can of Neocate medical formula (15 per month)
€100 / R$750
-
One palliative pediatric consultation (1 per month)
-
One consultation with a specialized pulmonologist (1 per month)
-
One gastroenterology consultation to manage reflux and the tube (1 per month)
€150 / R$930
-
Monthly medical protective equipment for healthcare professionals and for us (gloves, gowns, masks)
€200 / R$1,200
-
One neurology consultation (every three months)
We also have to cover most of the medical examinations and equipment not covered.
For example:
-
Genetic tests: €320 / R$2,000
-
Infusion pump to safely administer his formula: €240 / R$1,500
-
Recurring blood tests
-
…
And every month there are new surprises that the insurance refuses to cover.
Frequently Asked Questions
Because you probably have these questions.
1. Why aren't we returning to France now?
I lost my French social rights because I left the country ten years ago. I am in the process of reactivating them. This should be possible in 2026 but at a fairly high cost (CFE).
Also, I wonder if France is truly a safe place these days…
Seeing the inadequacy of this health insurance, we took out another policy in July, but there is a significant waiting period. Eventually, we will have access to the best care in Brazil.
According to pediatric pulmonologists in Lyon and Paris, returning in winter would be dangerous: a simple virus can be fatal for Gabriel.
And if we return, Gabriel must spend several days in the hospital to then be eligible for home hospitalization.
Returning to France now, without French employment or a French company, would make access to housing very difficult. And with a child, it’s complicated.
We would have to live in Lyon to receive home care. Which is not ideal from a pollution perspective.
Bronchiolitis obliterans seems better known in Brazil than in France, as there are more severe cases of this kind in Brazil.
We have built our lives here. We hope one day to be able to return to our home, located four hours from here in a little corner of paradise, and reunite with our pets.
2. Why didn't we return to France sooner?
When we went to the hospital, we thought the health insurance that manages these hospitals was of good quality.
At the worst of times, Gabriel was not transportable.
When it became theoretically possible to transport him, the medical transfer cost more than €100,000. We contacted the embassy, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Interior, the Élysée, a deputy, a senator…
The answer (when we got one) was the same everywhere: no coverage possible.
The risk/cost was not worth it.
3. Where do the donations go?
Donations are collected by the 1901 law association named “Hope For Gabriel”, registered W692011975.
We use the HelloAsso.fr website to collect donations and a bank account at Crédit Agricole.
The funds are then transferred to Brazil via Wise to pay for Gabriel’s various care services.
Thank you
Thank you for your support, your messages, your shares, and your presence.
Gabriel fights every day to breathe.
And we are fighting for him to have a normal future like all children!
If you wish to participate, even symbolically, you are already part of his story!
