A GoFundMe campaign has been launched for 7-year-old Autumn Ajcuc, a Shoreham resident who is fighting a difficult battle with a rare disease called bilateral moyamoya disease.

Family friends Diane and Donna Marzec organized the fundraiser, which raised over $11,500 to ensure the young girl receives the care and resources she needs for her recovery.

Autumn’s condition affects the blood vessels in her brain. She suffered several severe strokes after undergoing surgery to improve blood flow and prevent strokes.

The once vibrant girl – a dancer who performed in her dance school’s winter performance in January – now has problems with speech, mobility and emotional expression and therefore requires long-term rehabilitation and constant care.

“It’s really a heartbreaking story,” Diane Marzec told Greater Long Island.

Autumn’s mother, Yesenia “Jessy” Alas Ramos, has taken a leave of absence from work to care for her full-time, leaving Autumn’s father, Rogelio Ajcuc, as the family’s sole breadwinner, according to the GoFundMe post.

“They are doing everything they can to give Autumn the best chance of recovery, but they need help providing the necessary care and accommodations,” the Marzecs said in a letter on the GoFundMe page for Autumn and her family. “Autumn’s parents are hoping for the day when Autumn can come home, but navigating the stairs of their rental apartment will be incredibly difficult.”

In addition to the medical challenges, the family must move to a single-story home that will better accommodate Autumn’s needs, including handicap-accessible equipment for her mobility and daily activities, and they must purchase a car to transport her.

The Marzecs hope their GoFundMe effort can help partially offset the family’s rising medical costs and living expenses.