Brazilian teens with rare diseases launch fundraising drives

Luis Rafael Molinari Ramos, a 15‑year‑old from Capão da Canoa, Brazil, is battling severe bilateral retinopathy linked to thalassemia, which threatens permanent vision loss. His family has started an online fundraiser to cover costly intra‑ocular injections and laser treatments not fully covered by the public health system.

Mateus Carrer Dela Justina, also 15, from Orleans, Brazil, was diagnosed with acute intermittent porphyria after complications from an appendectomy. He remains in intensive care, intubated, and requires an expensive, specialized medication that his health plan has denied. The family has launched a campaign seeking roughly R$ 250 000 for his treatment. Both cases have mobilized local communities to support the adolescents' medical needs.