Help Kids in Ukraine in Time of War

Dear friends,

thank you for standing with Ukraine! Your generous donations help save Ukrainian children affected by the war.

Today, I would like to share the story of Kyrylo, a 16-year-old boy from the Mykolaiv Oblast. This region was at the forefront of the Russian invasion in the south, and it is currently on the frontline, facing daily drone and missile attacks.

Kyrylo had to travel to Lviv for a regular checkup in the local hospital after receiving cancer treatment. Due to the ongoing war, his doctor had moved away from Mykolaiv, and this was the first time in over a year that Kyrylo had been in a region where there was no active warfare. His psychological state was fragile, and he struggled to express his emotions, mostly staying isolated at home and communicating with friends only online. He also had strong fears and obsessive thoughts, such as jogging in areas where there were holes from shelling or near mined fields.

After the checkup, the guy and his mother planned to return home, and even had train tickets booked. However, our psychologist working with the family suggested taking a walk in Lviv before going back to Mykolaiv, encouraging them to take time to reflect and listen to their inner selves. While talking later about the experience, Kyrylo shared that he was struck by the carefree teenagers like him whom he saw riding skateboards, scooters, and bicycles, and playing in the playgrounds. Then he remembered his jogging, and it made him realize that he hadn’t really enjoyed anything in a long time. That was the beginning of a change.

The next day, Kyrylo and his mother made the decision to cancel their train tickets and stay in Lviv permanently. We helped them find accommodation in the city while the mother began her search for employment and Kyrylo enrolled in online school. Although they continue to work with a therapist to overcome PTSD, they are now on the path to starting their lives anew.

Thank you for your support that makes it possible to help children in Ukraine affected by the war.

Dear friends,

thank you for standing with Ukraine! Your generous donations help save Ukrainian children affected by the war.

Liza, the little girl you see in the picture, comes from Bakhmut. Now this town in the Donetsk Oblast is the hottest spot on the frontline, attacked by the Russians day and night. The invaders heavily shelled it from the first days of the full-scale war. One such shell split Liza’s family. Her father got numerous injuries and was transported by ambulance to the city of Dnipro. The girl and her mom were evacuated to different hospitals in Lviv.

Liza had a shell fragment in the spine and a fractured leg. She was hospitalized in the neurosurgery ward alone, surrounded by people she didn’t know. The girl was scared and confused. She faked sleeping so that no one would disturb her. That’s when the psychologist approached her and asked if she wanted to play or paint. Gradually, the girl started to open up.

After a few weeks, when Liza’s mom felt better, the clinical management arranged, so that she could come to her daughter regularly from the other hospital. At first, for a few hours, then almost around the clock. After a while, the doctors organized Liza father’s transportation from Dnipro to Lviv. The family continued treatment together. Supporting each other, they are recovering faster. Now Liza has regained sensitivity in her legs and has started rehabilitation to learn to walk again.

Thank you for supporting wartime Ukraine. Your contributions make it possible to help kids like Liza regain their life despite Russian attempts to destroy them.

Dear friends,

thank you for standing with Ukrainian children affected by the war.

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, St. Nicholas Hospital in Lviv helped 1,184 children from the frontline and the occupied territories. More than 100 children had mine-explosive injuries, fractures, amputations, and burns.

Your contributions make it possible to support children treated in this hospital.

Sonia, the girl in the picture, was one of the first kids we met there. She and her mom were in their apartment in Donetsk Oblast, when a shell hit them. Both were seriously injured. The mother had numerous lacerations. Sonia had to have her leg amputated above the knee. Once in Lviv, they ended up in different hospitals.

Sonia’s father, who had another family, left everything and rushed to Lviv to take care of his wounded daughter. The absolute horror for the man was that he had no idea how to talk to her. What to say? How to encourage the girl who did not have a leg? The man was in a panic. It seemed to him that he was not doing enough, that he was doing something wrong, but he did not know how to do it... Zaporuka’s psychologist helped him cope with the situation.

Now Sonia is in the Netherlands. The girl has a prosthesis installed and is slowly learning to walk on her own, with the support of both of her moms. Her “mom” Luda is her father’s current wife. She had never moved anywhere, but then she left her home to help her husband take care of his daughter and her mother. From now on, they are all one family.

Love, care, and having loving people around are what a person needs to forget about the horrors experienced. This is what happened to this little beauty; you are a part of this miracle. Thank you!

Dear friends,

thank you for supporting Ukrainian kids in time of war.

Your contributions make it possible to support the healthcare system of Ukraine and children and their families who need individual aid, including medication, psychological support, and physical rehabilitation. Please, see the infographics in the attachment below with the map of Ukraine and aid provided.

The children we evacuated abroad receive treatment free of charge but still they need our financial support for basic expenses like food and clothes. 

One of such children is Oleksandr from Kryvyi Rih, a cancer patient who has been on treatment in the Italian city of Genoa for a few months with his mom Olga.

In Ukraine, Sasha was preparing for a critical examination, on which the next stage of treatment depended. The war ruined all the plans. When Olga saw missile strikes near their hospital, she realized she could not save her son in her home country.

They decided to go for treatment abroad. The evacuation was not easy. The van transported them to the Ukrainian-Polish border, and they had to cross it on foot at night. Then there was a night in Poland and a medical flight to Italy.

The adaptation in Italy was not always easy. There was a language barrier. The feeling that no one understood you and you understood no one, was so sharp at first that Sasha and his mom panicked and wanted to return home. Still, humans are adaptive, so over time they adapted too. Of course, a Google translator and Italian lessons by local volunteers helped.

The Italian doctors were amazed by the awareness of the Ukrainian mothers, who easily used medical terms when talking to them. Italian mothers don’t seem to be like that – they completely trust their doctors. People in Ukraine who always have to think of survival got used to live according to the principle: trust, but verify. That’s why Ukrainian mothers learn their children’s protocols and all possible medical terminology.   

There were other problems, for example, unusual local food that the Ukrainian kids couldn’t eat, especially after chemo, that’s why they remained hungry. At first, the mothers were not allowed to cook but when the doctors saw the children’s reaction, they gave their mothers access to a kitchen. Then the kids could enjoy their favourite borscht, Ukrainian beetroot soup, and buckwheat.

No matter what Olga is happy that her son Sasha can receive high-quality treatment in time. But she dreams of returning home too. Sasha’s younger brother remains with his granny, he misses his mom very much. All of them want to be together at home one day. But first, Sasha must win over cancer, and Ukraine must win the peace.

Thank you for being there for Ukrainian kids and their families in the most difficult time!