To school – with my sister by the hand! 2

Ivan and Polina are unusual twins: their parents waited for them for eighteen years! Six months before their birth, Mom and Dad moved from the Luhansk region to Zaporizhzhia because of the war. The twins were born prematurely and spent the first months of their lives in the hospital. Today, Polina is almost healthy, but Ivan is still struggling with the consequences of premature birth.

At one and a half months, Ivan had a shunt installed due to hydrocephalus. A little later, it turned out that the boy could not hear, and another diagnosis appeared - sensorineural deafness of the IV degree. And later cerebral palsy was added. Since then, physical exercises, massages, and corrective classes have appeared in Ivan's life – everything to bring the boy closer to a healthy childhood.

Now Ivan is eight years old. Only a few years ago, he took his first step. This was the result of constant work at home and in numerous rehabilitation centers. Today, Ivan can walk, although he still stumbles and loses his balance sometimes. Despite this, he moves everywhere independently.

Ivan is a second-grade student at the "Dzherelo" school for children with hearing impairment. Because of the war, the school year started remotely again, but it was quite difficult for the boy to study in this mode. Even with a cochlear implant and a hearing aid, he cannot hear fully. As a result, Ivan still does not speak well and has a small vocabulary.

For Ivan's further development, individual classes with a correctional teacher and a rehabilitator are necessary. A three-week intensive at the "Bude Tak" center is planned for the end of the year and will cost 39,900 UAH.

Please support Ivan! Give him the opportunity to be one step closer to a healthy childhood!