Daria is a 9-year-old girl from Kherson, Ukraine who urgently needed life-saving heart surgery.
Her condition, known as Atrial Septal Defect (ASD), caused severe chest pain and was leading to congestive heart failure. With her father serving in the Ukrainian army and her mother caring for Daria and her sister in a war zone, the family faced overwhelming odds — until they found help through the generosity of Ukraine Children’s Aid Fund donors.

Daria’s symptoms began in October 2021 when she first experienced serious chest pain. After an initial ultrasound in Kherson, her family traveled to Kyiv in search of better medical answers. There, doctors confirmed the diagnosis and told them that only surgery could repair her heart. But the pandemic made treatment delays unavoidable, and the family was told to wait until spring of 2022.

Then, on February 24, 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The war forced the family to abandon their plans, leave their home, and flee Kherson under constant threat. By May, they had relocated to Odesa — one of millions of displaced Ukrainian families. It wasn’t until November 2023, after Kherson was liberated, that they were finally able to return home and start seeking care again.

In spring 2024, they returned to a cardiologist in Kherson for a re-evaluation. The doctor, unaware of Daria’s past diagnosis, confirmed that the heart defect remained and required immediate surgical intervention. But without resources or a treatment path, the family still had no answers.

That’s when UCAF’s Field Director, Serhii Kukushkin, stepped in. In May 2024, he reached out across Ukraine to identify children in need of urgent medical care. Daria was among those selected, and UCAF leveraged a U.S. humanitarian program called Uniting for Ukraine, which allows Ukrainian citizens to temporarily enter the United States for medical and humanitarian reasons.

Thanks to the generous support of UCAF donors, Daria and her family were flown to the United States in September 2024. On November 21, Daria underwent cardiac catheterization surgery at Children’s Hospital in Birmingham, Alabama — one of the leading pediatric hospitals in the country. The surgery was a complete success.

“I am so thankful to your team, to the volunteers, and to everyone who helped to make this surgery possible,” said Daria’s mother, Tetiana. “Now we know for sure that we are not forgotten, and that our children are not forgotten. God bless you all.”

Daria continues to recover well and is now looking forward to a healthier, brighter future. Your donations made this transformation possible. If you would like to support her follow-up care and help other children like Daria, please consider contributing to our Medical Assistance Fund.

Click here to make a tax-deductible donation today.