Erik is a baby boy who was born in Odessa, Ukraine, and diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (type 1). This condition usually develops in babies less than six-months old and is the most severe type of SMA. Until recently, babies with this condition rarely survived beyond the first few years of life, although thankfully this is now changing thanks to early diagnosis and treatment.

Getting treatment fast is of the essence and Erik’s Mother, Darina, needed to make sure that this happened as soon as possible in order to save her son’s life. She immediately reached out to the online community in Ukraine, although this came at a difficult time with a war being waged at the same time and any fundraising was difficult to achieve.

PEP Group, part of Locaria, reached out and offered their services to help this cause. The aim was to make Erik’s story heard, to reach an audience outside of Ukraine and to ultimately get Erik the funding he needed for his injections. After a conversation with Erik’s mother, our production team got to work on building the scenario, as well as a storyboard and an animation. This would need to be produced in two languages – Ukrainian and English – to make sure that a European audience could also be reached.

The clip went live on Instagram and other social channels, and reached a large global audience. The funding goal for the treatment was reached on the 24th March 2022 and Erik was able to successfully receive the first injection that he needed to survive. Darina has been extremely grateful for the contributions of the online community and continues to support other families that are experiencing similar issues.