In the village of Sencelles, a close-knit community has launched an urgent campaign to raise €60,000 for a teenager battling one of the most severe forms of epilepsy. The funds will go toward a complex and potentially life-changing procedure: deep brain stimulation (DBS).
For 13-year-old Clàudia, the operation represents the final hope after more than a decade of unsuccessful treatments. Diagnosed as an infant with a rare brain malformation—a smooth frontal cortex lacking normal folds—Clàudia has suffered from uncontrolled seizures nearly her entire life.
“Sometimes it’s spasms; other times it’s like she vanishes,” her mother, Fany, says. “On some days she can have up to 18 seizures. But in between, she still wants to smile, to move, to live.”
The family has tried every available therapy, including a vagal nerve stimulator, but none have been able to control the seizures. The years have taken their toll. Once able to show early signs of progress, Clàudia has now lost most of her motor and cognitive abilities. She functions at just 4% capacity and requires full-time care.
If you would like to help, find out more here
Fany, who works afternoons to dedicate more time to her daughters, has been Clàudia’s constant carer. “Her biological father left when things got hard,” she says. “For years I raised her alone, until I met Vicent, now my husband. He didn’t hesitate when I told him everything. He was the first person to make Clàudia laugh.”
Deep brain stimulation involves implanting electrodes within areas of the brain. The electrodes produce electrical impulses that affect brain activity to treat certain medical conditions, including epilepsy.
“DBS isn’t a cure,” says Fany. “But it could give her fewer seizures—maybe even help her recover a little of what she’s lost. We don’t expect miracles. We just want her to suffer less.”
But the cost—€60,000—is far beyond the family’s means. That’s where the Banc del Temps de Sencelles has stepped in. Founded on mutual support, the time bank allows neighbours to exchange services without money. In Clàudia’s case, it has become the hub of a growing fundraising effort, bringing together volunteers, donors, and local organisations.
The community’s efforts reflect not just compassion, but a sense of collective responsibility. “Clàudia isn’t just a patient,” one organiser said. “She’s one of us.”
And as for Fany, her mission remains clear: “She still smiles. Even when she’s exhausted. So I have to keep going—for her.”
1 comment
To be able to write a comment, you have to be registered and logged in
Would the MDB or is it MFB? Open a simple Account. So that readers can put money in by cash or Credit Card. The simpler the method of donation. The much more likelihood of contributions being donated. The present facility is too complex. This young Lady needs HELP NOW.