Ukraine Children's Aid Fund - Life-saving Open-Heart Surgery for Zlata

November 23, 2024

Life-saving Open-Heart Surgery for Zlata

Zlata’s Story: A Life Saved by UCAF Donors

Zlata is a 7-year-old girl from Kherson, Ukraine who urgently needed heart surgery for a heart malformation known as Atrial Septal Defect.

Zlata and Olga, her mother, are all alone (with neither spouse nor siblings) in this battle to save Zlata’s life from eventual death if her heart is not repaired. Olga speaks no English, has no travel experience in the airports, abroad, etc., but has a strong desire to help her daughter to be healed of her heart defect. As you read on, you will learn why this family was losing all hope to find a way for Zlata to receive the life-saving open-heart surgery she so desperately needed… until they learned of what the generous donors and supporters of Ukraine Children’s Aid Fund could make possible!

Here is their story according to Olga. (Her story has been translated from Russian and slightly edited for the sake of clarity.) We have war constantly happening in our city of Kherson right now (Sept. 2024): drones and bombs – it’s very dangerous even to be outside. My daughter Zlata needs heart surgery. We found out that Zlata had problems with her heart when she was only three months old. (An ultrasound revealed that Zlata has Atrial Septal Defect (ASD) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIjD3MSVfRE].) We have been carefully monitoring her condition, month by month, for her entire young life. The doctors informed us that the opening in her heart might heal by itself over time as she gets a little older. Our hope every time we had a cardiogram was to learn that her heart was healing itself.

[After a routine cardiogram when Zlata was just four years old] the doctor explained that the shape of the opening in her heart revealed that it was not closing by itself, and that Zlata would need open-heart surgery to close the hole. So, Zlata was added to a list of children needing that procedure. And so we were waiting, and waiting, and waiting, and finally a surgeon from Kiev was supposed to come to Kherson in the beginning of March of 2022 to perform the surgery for Zlata and other children on the list.

But when the Russians invaded Ukraine on February 24^th, everything became unpredictable, uncertain, and scary. We tried to call the doctor; he asked me to call back in a week. Yet in the first few days of the war, our city was occupied and that meeting with the doctor never happened. It was a full-scale invasion with all the horrible consequences, making it impossible for the surgery to be performed. We counted ourselves as blessed even to be alive. We tried again to see the doctor many months later and found a way to have another ultrasound performed, but due to immunization issues, the surgery was cancelled again. We lacked the financial resources to have this surgery performed in any other way than by Ukraine’s socialized healthcare system making it completely unpredictable to schedule.

Finally, in June of 2024, the Children’s Hospital in Kiev reached out to discuss a potential opportunity for Zlata to receive cardiac surgery in the United States. Nervous yet hopeful, we began to plan, gathering paperwork, and meeting with Serhii Kukushkin to discuss details. With help from Ukraine Children’s Aid Fund, we were able to arrange this lengthy travel. Viktoriia (our Ukrainian escort who spoke fluent English) accompanied us, assisting in airports and guiding us on our journey during this long unforgettable trip to the United States. I don’t speak English, I have never been in an airport, so I am so thankful for Viktoriia and all her help

I am extremely thankful for Ukraine Children’s Aid Fund that paid for our entire trip and for the families that hosted us and help us along the way. Thank you very much for all the help you provided for us already and for all the good people who made it possible for my daughter to have this treatment. Your kindness means the world to us.

Update on Daria’s surgery and current health. According to the surgeons, Zlata’s open-heart surgery was a complete success and she continues to recover well. If you would like to support her ongoing care and ensure she receives the follow-up treatment she needs, please consider making a tax-deductible donation via the DONATE NOW button.