Adél is a bright, talkative 3.5 year old little girl who lives in Hungary with her family. She loves to play dress up and jump on the trampoline with her older brother. Watching her, you’d never guess the suffering she has already endured and what she lives with on a daily basis. 

In April 2025, a seizure led doctors to an MRI that found a large tumor in the right hemisphere of her brain, near the areas that control movement. Although the tumor has stayed stable in size, it has caused drug-resistant (pharmacoresistant) lesional focal epilepsy, a diagnosis that five different medications have failed to control. Adel has suffered from over 1500 seizures in the past year. 

Adél now has seizures daily (sometimes dozens in a single day), with her body stiffening or falling without warning, followed by hours of exhaustion and grogginess. Her family can no longer let her out of arm’s reach.

Specialists across multiple countries agree that due to the location of the tumor, this is one of the most delicate operations in pediatric neurosurgery, only safely doable by a small number of surgeons worldwide. After five rounds of failed medication, Adele’s liver function is continuing to decline. Surgery is no longer just an option. An international panel of expert neurosurgeons and neurologists from at least 8 countries reviewed Adél's case, together and they agree that surgery as soon as possible, with maximal safe resection of the tumor is the best path forward for her.

After a year of research and consultations with surgeons all over the world, it has been determined that the best chance for Adel’s survival is to receive care by Dr. Klimo at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. Dr. Klimo is one of the leading surgeons in the world for this exact procedure.

Receiving care at Le Bonheur requires traveling internationally from Hungary to the US for care. The entire cost is approximately $400,000, which needs to be paid out of pocket. The surgery carries real risk (roughly a 10% chance of stroke or motor weakness), but without it, her epilepsy will stay uncontrolled and her development is likely to decline. This surgery is mandatory for Adel’s survival. 

Adél’s family is able to cover part of the cost. They are now asking for help closing the remaining gap of about $300,000, so their daughter can get the quality-of-life and possibly life-saving surgery she needs and get her childhood back. 

If we don’t raise enough funds, the family will have the option to put the funds they receive towards a surgery in Europe. However, their choices are very limited due to the nature and location of this tumor. 

Time is of the essence. If we can raise enough funds for this family, they will still have to go through the process of obtaining a Visa to come to the United States for her care.