ALBINA SMAJLOVIĆ TOMIĆ SUFFERS FROM MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS AND TRIGEMINAL NEURALGIA: SHE NEEDS HELP FOR LIFE-CHANGING TREATMENT

Albina Smajlović Tomić, an opera singer, is battling multiple sclerosis and trigeminal neuralgia.

PHOTO: FB

Because of unbearable pain, there are days when she cannot eat normally, brush her teeth, or even speak. Her opera career has been put completely aside, and her only hope is to bring the neuralgia under control.

Doctors themselves call this condition “the suicide disease” because of the devastating impact it has on patients. It feels like electric shocks in the facial area and can last from several seconds to hours, coming in waves.

The medications Albina is taking have already reached the maximum allowed dosage, causing severe side effects while failing to keep the pain under control. The attacks are becoming more frequent.

— “All I can say is a plea for help so that this incredible woman of mine can be freed from the terrible pain, in between which she is trying to live. Much has been written about trigeminal neuralgia, but what I see with my own eyes is enough — unbearable facial pain, stronger and more frequent every day, mediations that put life on hold but no longer help,” wrote her husband Đorđe Tomić.

The next recommended step is a procedure in Munich using ZAP-X technology, which is rarely available but essential for Albina due to her specific condition. The cost of the treatment is €22,000. That is why we hope to collect the necessary funds so that Albina can get a chance at a bearable life without daily pain.

— “Until recently, Albina was somehow able to hide all that horror in her own way and still step out into the world so you would hardly notice anything was wrong. Now, due to the worsening condition, there is little room left for anything resembling a normal life. The operation that we are waiting for has been recommended as a new chance,” Đorđe added in a Facebook post.

He continued: “She herself would never mention it, but she has been there for others countless times, always ready to help. She is one of those people who bring warmth and light into your life. Now, any help would be priceless — a sign of hope that we will see Albina again in her full glory, free of suffering.”

The procedure in Munich costs €22,000, and every contribution is welcome.

Bank account (NLB Banja Luka):

5620998121653354

Albina Smajlović Tomić

Or via GoFundMe.