Children's hope: helping children with burns

Dear donors, we are pleased to announce that the collection has been completed. The equipment was donated and transferred to the hospital on November 20, 2023. Thank you for your support and caring hearts!

On February 24, a major Russian invasion of Ukraine began. Thousands of patients with mine-blast injuries. Among them are children who are not even a year old. The National Center «Unbroken», based at the First Medical Association of Lviv, is the only tertiary care center in Ukraine that provides assistance to burn patients and patients in need of reconstructive surgery almost around the clock.

According to statistics, 12,000 children suffer burns in Ukraine every year, and 25-40 of them die as a result of life-threatening burns. Because of the war, this number is growing every day. Almost all mine-blast injuries are accompanied by thermal injuries in children. Burn injuries rank second among childhood injuries and are among the most difficult to treat. Currently, there are 16 burn units in Ukraine, but there is no quality care anywhere. Ukraine remains in last place in the world in terms of burn survival.

Since the first days of the full-scale invasion, the National Rehabilitation Center «Unbroken» based at the First Medical Unit of Lviv has become one of the main shelters for children affected by the war. The hospital has taken in more than 3,000 children fleeing the war, including 250 with mine-blast injuries and burns from all over Ukraine. 

«After the tragic helicopter crash in Brovary on January 18, little Alisa, who was in kindergarten at the time of the explosion, was evacuated to our Center. Her body was affected by burns of almost 70%. We could only stabilize her and hand her over to our Austrian partners for further treatment. And when every minute counts and transportation is dangerous due to infectious diseases, our goal is to make sure that Ukrainian children like Alisa are treated at home. Now Alisa is being treated abroad and is bravely undergoing difficult tests. Her father says that the girl is surprisingly courageous for her age. He adds that he dreams of Alisa being cured and returning home. And then she will go to school and will be able to get her coveted orange belt in karate-do», says Halyna Sayan, a combustiologist at the First Medical Association of Lviv. 

At present, the Center needs help in the form of an ultra-modern CO2 laser for skin leveling (laser resurfacing), resection and coagulation. This is a mandatory and necessary part of the treatment of children with burns, which is used to destroy and remove tissue through vaporization, which is achieved by exposing waves of different lengths and impulsivity to a specific problem area of the skin. In simple words, the laser removes scars that remain on the body. And it's not just about aesthetics. After all, large scars after burns in children stop the growth of tissue and affect growth, forming a deformity of the body. It also causes pain and discomfort. 

No public hospital has such a laser! And the cost of services in private clinics is unaffordable for most patients. 

To ensure that patients who suffered from war or have domestic burn injuries have access to the highest quality care and scar resurfacing procedures free of charge, we are launching a fundraiser for the laser and everyone can contribute to the great goal with any comfortable amount. 

Also, as part of the expansion of the Children's Hope charity program, Kyivstar, together with dobro.ua and the National Rehabilitation Center «Unbroken», aims to create conditions for the full treatment of children with burns at home in Ukraine. For this purpose, a national project has been launched, which Kyivstar has allocated an investment of UAH 10 million to purchase critical medical equipment for the burn unit. 

Kyivstar also encourages its subscribers to make charitable donations to support children with burn. Each subscriber can help by connecting the "Kyivstar TV Charitable" package, from which 100 hryvnias will go every month to support the project, and prepaid users can also make a donation via SMS with an amount from 1 to 3,000 hryvnias to the number 450025.

Thus, you can join the project, in particular, by transferring money via SMS or by bank card on dobro.ua.