Smile with an effort. 7

Artem Stadnik is 9 years old. All his childhood was spent in operations and treatment of a huge tumor on his face and neck. The tumor is benign, but threatened the child's life. After eight operations to remove the tumor, the ninth operation to restore the damaged facial nerve, as well as to remove a part of the tumor on the left eye, follows. With each operation, Artem dreams of becoming an ordinary boy, with a regularly-shaped face. All Ukrainian people help him, because in their hearts everyone wishes Artem a true smile, not the one made through force. Thank you for the fact that Artem does not give up, because you give him hope.

Artem's tumor is called Lymphangioma and it has been developing extremely dangerously and rapidly since the boy was born. It got to the point that the boy could not breathe on his own; there was a possibility of loss of vision. But after numerous operations aimed to remove the giant tumor, Artem was able to breathe on his own and already in 2020 he underwent an operation on removal of the tracheostomy tube. Today Artem breathes on his own.

Then the doctors decided to carry out a series of plastic surgeries in order to remove excess tissue on the boy's face that had formed after the operations. During the operation in December 2021, when removing excess tissues on the chin, the doctors discovered that the facial nerve was damaged on the left side, and a part of the tumor that had not been removed was progressing on the left eye. Therefore, it was decided to carry out the ninth operation as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, it is impossible to wave a magic wand and make Artem's face symmetrical. Doctors move slowly and very carefully, because there are many nerves and blood vessels on the face, which are easily damaged by wrong movements and in a hurry. Therefore, no matter how much we expect a miracle from each operation, we still trust the doctors and their experience, patiently performing small plastic surgeries one after another.

On dobro.ua we are raising funds to pay for plastic surgery, which Artem plans to do in September this year at a German clinic.

We are asking you to help and support Artem. He is already at an age when he begins to understand how different he is from others. You and I can help him do his best, but of course not to fall into despair, and show our support.