I want to breathe in plenty

Polina is three years old. She has a congenital heart disease – an open arterial duct and open oval window. The girl is growing and they are increasing. Polina constantly lacks oxygen, she is overcome by attacks of weakness, it becomes hard to breathe. Need an urgent endovascular operation with the use of an occluder – a special "patch". This is the most gentle method, which does not require the opening of the chest. The girl will be operated for free, but the occluder needs to be paid, and Polina's parents do not have the right amount.

Polina likes to play. Inflatable balls, a toy, a doll and fluffy bears – all this instantly begins to move around the room with tremendous speed in the hands of the girl. Order, or rather, the disorder of the movement of objects is determined by herself.
But just ten minutes later, the girl is so tired that she sits on the bed or on the floor. Polina seems that there is almost no air left in the room, her little heart begins to pound quickly and quickly. She pokes her finger in her chest – she shows her mother that there, inside, on the left – it hurts. Polina can not explain this, but her mother understands everything.

"We were still in the hospital when, during a planned examination, she was found signs of heart disease and sent us for examination," recalls Alina, Polina's mom. "And it turned out that the daughter has an open arterial duct and an open oval window. The word "operation" was heard after the first examination, but the doctors advised us to wait for a little: there are cases when small defects close themselves, without interference, the doctors said".

Polina was taking medicine. The parents waited. But the miracle did not happen... In two and a half years, Polina suffered the first attack of obstructive bronchitis (an inflammatory disease of the bronchus, in which the permeability of the airways is broken). And first of all, the parents went to the cardiologist for examination.

"For almost three years we have been observed at the Kiev Heart Institute, and if doctors used to say that the operation might be avoided, now they insist on an urgent closure of the hole," says Alina.

The attending physician informed Polina's relatives that there is evidence for an endovascular operation – gentle, not strips: the hole in the heart will be closed with a special device – an occluder. Endovascular surgery, according to doctors, will prevent complications and allow the girl to live a full life. That means Polina can run with everyone on the street, go to the kindergarten and sleep peacefully.

"Polina does not sleep well, about four or five hours in a row, she gets stuffy, and she wakes up. Doctors say the heart does not work out, the body lacks oxygenated blood, because of the blemish, Polina stagnates blood in the lung. When daughter wakes up, she starts to choke, in the summer I open the window or go out with her to the balcony. It is necessary for the daughter to breathe fresh air. And then we take medicine. It helps, then Polina quickly becomes ok," says Alina.

This method of treatment, Polina's mom recently used at least two times a day. No other way. The girl herself is not yet aware. But one thing is very distressing for her – she does not manage to play as much as she wants, just start the game, just think of everything, and that's it, the strength ends here...

"Where can we find money to cure our daughter, to save her?! I am on maternity leave, her father is a bus driver. For us, this amount is prohibitive," Alina admits.

Polina has a wonderful family. Mom waited two years for the birth of her daughter. Dad, who invented his daughter's affectionate nickname Polia, very much wants to play football with her, but can not, because of frequent attacks of his daughter. But they believe, the daughter is waiting for the happy life of a healthy... if now it will be possible to defeat the disease.

So, it's up to us. Maybe we will be able to give Polina the most important thing – her healthy heart!

Name: Pinchuk Polina, 14.04.2014

City: Kiev

Diagnosis: congenital heart defect – patent ductus arteriosus