When the heart beats again

This project was created as part of Vodafone Ukraine's charity program "A Good Deed as a Gift".

Every year in Ukraine, about 3,500 children are born with congenital heart defects. For them, life does not begin with their first smile, but with a struggle to breathe.

Today, doctors can save these children without complex operations, thanks to endovascular interventions, when a cardiac implant, called an occluder, is inserted through a tiny puncture in the thigh.

It is a safe procedure without incisions or scars, after which the child can return home the very next day – to a normal childhood, to life.

But one implant is a cost that most families cannot afford, as such treatment is not covered by the state.

That is why we launched this charity project as part of Vodafone Ukraine's "A Good Deed as a Gift" program. The goal is to raise funds to purchase one cardiac implant and give a child who desperately needs it a chance at life.

This is the moment when a child's heart begins to beat steadily and confidently again.

As part of this project, assistance will be provided to 4-year-old Maksym Yakimov from the Vinnytsia region.

Maxim is a long-awaited child. An open arterial duct was detected in the child while he was still in the maternity hospital. Unfortunately, it did not close on its own over time. On the contrary, the opening has increased, and now Maxim needs urgent endovascular surgery. His mother works as a teacher, and his father lost his job when the war began. The amount needed for the implant is beyond the family's means. The health and future of this active, cheerful boy, who loves to walk, play ball, and spend time with his dad and his favorite toy dog Patron, depend on the surgery.