Life-Saving Treatment for Kids in Ukraine

Dear friends,

Thank you for being there for children in Ukraine who need essential treatment.

Your generosity makes it possible to provide these children with medicines and supplies. However, we want to emphasize that psychosocial support is equally significant in their journey towards recovery. Our new hospital entertainment coordinator, Olha, knows this well.

We met Olha when she was a teenage patient in the oncology department. Despite facing cancer twice, with a recurrence, she showed remarkable resilience. Inspired to give back, she first joined our team as a volunteer and later became a coordinator. She is not afraid to be back in the same ward where she was treated. She is determined to bring joy and hope to the kids getting treatment now.

For children receiving treatment now, it is even harder than during Olha’s times, before the full-scale war. In addition to cancer, they must cope with the fear of Russian missiles and drones, posing a constant threat to their lives. During air raid alarms, as seen in the picture below, the children gather in the safest area of the department while Russia bombards areas near the hospital in Kyiv without remorse.

That’s why activities that can distract children are so important. Olha knows what kids might enjoy doing. For instance, involving them in creative activities like choosing colors that reflect their emotions and painting with them can be incredibly therapeutic. They also love having a special art class with a painter or a visit from a famous singer.

Among various activities, the most popular one has been Mehndi – henna temporary tattoos. Children, especially teenagers, love this experience as it allows them to choose their designs and express their unique personalities. Cancer patients also enjoy getting such tattoos on their heads; that’s the plan for the next sessions.

Olha believes that regular visits from new people to children in the oncology department foster a sense of planning and connection with the world outside the hospital walls. It symbolizes hope for the future, life after the disease, and brings optimism to children and their families.

Thank you so much for your continued support of children undergoing treatment in Ukraine, giving them hope.

Dear friends,

thank you for supporting seriously ill children who need treatment in wartime Ukraine! Your contributions help save lives.

I would like to share with you the picture of smiling and happy Sofia from Chernivtsi, who recently completed treatment and received her hero medal. This is a tradition we started in the pediatric oncology department to celebrate the children’s efforts towards their recovery.

Alongside Sofia, you can see the physical therapist and the psychologist from the Zaporuka team who worked with the girl and supported her on her journey to recovery. It is a happy day for them too, as their cooperation created a synergy that contributed to Sofia’s recovery.

Sofia was diagnosed with a tumor after the full-scale Russian invasion began. The doctors at the local hospital suspected something was wrong and referred her to the National Cancer Institute in Kyiv. It was a shock for her family, as they had to leave their safer region to go to the capital, where there were regular air raid sirens and missile attacks.

Unfortunately, the doctors’ suspicions were confirmed, and Sofia began treatment. Despite the difficult situation, Sofia faced everything very courageously and maturely. Even losing hair due to chemotherapy was not a tragedy for her, and she often joked about it, saying she had a wonderful head shape.

Despite facing many challenges, including chemotherapy, surgery, the inability to eat normally for some time, and more chemotherapy again, Sofia continued to smile and support everyone around her. She remained positive and brave throughout, even during constant alarms, explosions, and anxiety, while sitting in a bomb shelter.

Finally, the long-awaited moment came when the family received the news that they could return home. During the first three months of 2023, with your support over 300 children, like Sofia, were able to receive treatment in Ukraine. Thank you for your generosity and support!

Dear friends,

thank you for supporting seriously ill children who need treatment in wartime Ukraine! Your contributions help save lives.

Vika, the girl you see in the picture, is from Kherson Oblast. Her family didn’t have time to leave their village before the Russian invaders came. The occupation happened at once and they had to find a way to survive. They saw their neighbors disappear and were afraid of going out. When the Russians held a fake referendum, the soldiers entered the houses in the village and pointed machine guns at children, and then ordered their parents to "vote". Fortunately, Vika was not very traumatized by the occupation because she didn't understand fully what was going on and remembered it as "bad people who didn’t allow her to speak Ukrainian." 

When Vika felt pain in the arm, and the local doctors suspected a tumor, the situation went from bad to worse. In their conditions, the doctors could only offer an amputation. The girl needed to leave the region to save her arm. The Russian occupiers told the family to take Russian passports, leave everything behind and go to Russia if they wanted their daughter to receive any treatment. The family didn’t want to be deported, that’s why they looked for volunteers who could organize their evacuation to the territory controlled by the Ukrainian government.

When Vika arrived in Kyiv with her mom, the doctors confirmed her diagnosis and scheduled surgery. The tumor had to be removed, and a bone substitute installed in its place. Fortunately, the tumor was benign, so the girl didn’t need prolonged chemotherapy. When Vika was at the hospital, she worried a lot about her father, sister, and brother who remained in occupation. Later on, they managed to escape too. The family still cannot return home as their village is heavily shelled  by the Russians but they are happy because Vika is feeling well and they are all together.

In 2022, your contributions helped more than 600 children like Vika receive treatment in Ukraine. Thank you!

Dear friends,

thank you for standing with Ukraine and supporting our children!

Your contributions make it possible to support seriously ill children and their families who are in evacuation abroad and those who remain for treatment in Ukraine. In Kyiv and Lviv hospitals, more than half of the patients come from either the occupied territories, or the territories, where active hostilities occur. Here, they receive the therapies they need and psychological support to overcome anxieties and adapt to a new life situation.

2-year-old Bohdan, diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, came to Lviv from occupied Melitopol, Zaporizhzhia Oblast. His parents noticed something wrong with the child’s eye after the beginning of Russia’s invasion. At that time, their town was already under occupation.

The father had to make six  (!!!) attempts before he managed to go through the Russian checkpoint with the ill son. The mother was not allowed to go and had to remain in occupation. Firstly, they reached Zaporizhzhia, then Odesa, where Bohdan was urgently operated on to remove the tumor. The doctors managed to save his eye.   

For chemotherapy, Bohdan and his father went to Lviv. There, the father took care of his son during the most challenging days of treatment. At the same time, he couldn’t stop worrying about his wife, who remained in occupation and could not often get in touch because of connection problems. The boy missed his mom very much, and the father tried hard to be as supportive as possible, hugging his boy all the time and cuddling with him.   

Eventually, Bohdan’s mother managed to pass all the checkpoints and the family united. They received all the necessary support to be able to renew their lost documents and settle down in the Lviv Oblast.  Now, between therapies, Bohdan can leave the hospital and have a rest staying with his parents. The family is happy to be together. For sure, that’s one of the things that makes the boy’s treatment successful. Your support is the other. Thank you so much for being there for us now! 

Dear friends,

thank you so much for supporting kids with cancer in Ukraine in time of war. 

Little Arina is one of such children who can receive treatment in safety thanks to your support. Last September, Arina was diagnosed with nephroblastoma, kidney cancer. She was on treatment in Kharkiv, East of Ukraine, when the war started. Now she is in the Lviv Hospital with her mom Alla who tells their story:

"When I first heard the diagnosis, I had the feeling that I was falling into an abyss. Why my Arina? What did I do wrong? Now I understand that cancer can happen to anyone. And that no one is to blame for that. But in the first days, I couldn’t find any rest. To distract me, I was gluing wallpapers in the house for four days. It helped.

My husband and I decided that he and Arina would be in the hospital, and I would be at home with our children. We have a big family: the eldest son Artem is 13, Katya 9, Polina 6, Arina 3. The youngest, Oleksii, has recently turned one year old. We always wanted to have a big family together as happiness for us was to be surrounded by children.

The beginning of the war found us at home between therapies. In the morning my aunt from Kyiv called me: "Alla, the war has started. They’re bombing Kyiv, Kharkiv, all over Ukraine." I realized the impending catastrophe on the second day, when the hospital where Arina was being treated was bombed. My first thought: "Where will my daughter receive treatment?"

I called our doctor and he told us that we had to leave immediately. We started looking for transport. At the same time, a volunteer told us that it was possible to go to Poland for treatment. Without hesitation, I agreed. We began to pack our things quickly. My husband found a van and we left. I was praying all the way. We got safely to Lviv, from where we were supposed to go to Poland.

In Lviv, where we could breathe a sigh of relief, I was no longer so happy with the idea of going abroad. I didn’t feel very comfortable in an unfamiliar city, but at least I was in my home country. Who knows what could happen in Poland, where we would be among strangers and without speaking the language? What about my children? My husband?  When I got to know that we could continue treatment in Lviv, the decision was final. We stayed in Ukraine. 

Now Arina and I have a few days of rest between chemo cycles. My daughter is cheerful. I look at her and try to imitate her. 

I really want to go home. For two months now, I have been dreaming of one thing – to go back and then cook a huge pot of homemade borscht  for the whole family. That’s all, I don’t want anything else. Only peace, my family by my side, and borscht".

Your contributions make it possible to save kids’ lives in the most difficult time in Ukraine. Thank you so much for being there for us now!