A chance for little hearts

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

Vodafone Ukraine has developed a simple way to get involved in charity: subscribers transfer bonus points from the My Vodafone app to support children in need.

This project involves five children with congenital heart defects. Most of them look completely healthy until something ordinary happens – a cold, a run, physical education. That's when the defect makes itself known, and the price of delay can be very high. The modern solution is endovascular surgery with the installation of a cardiac implant. No incisions, no long recovery. In just a few days, the child can be home. But the cost of an occluder implant ranges from 49,500 to 140,000 hryvnia – an amount that most families simply cannot afford on their own.

Every point transferred is part of the journey to surgery for one of these five children.

Yevheniia Yatsenko, born November 21, 2023, Khmelnytskyi Oblast. Yevheniia was born prematurely and was frequently ill from the first months of her life. When the girl was only 4 months old, doctors diagnosed her with a congenital heart defect. For two years, the child was under the care of specialists at the M. M. Amosov National Institute of Cardiovascular Surgery. In March 2026, doctors announced the need for an endovascular procedure to close the defect. This is Yevgeniya’s chance to live a full life without a constant threat to her health. However, the cost of the occluder is beyond the family’s means. 

Mykhailo Dmytrenko, born April 14, 2018, Poltava Oblast. Doctors diagnosed 8-year-old Mykhailo with a congenital heart defect, specifically a patent ductus arteriosus. To prevent complications and ensure the child’s normal development, he urgently needs endovascular surgery to implant an occluder. The family cannot afford the cost of the implant on their own, so they have turned to us for help.

Ivan Oleksandrovych Tsal-Tsalco, born 28 August 2020, Zhytomyr region. Ivan is the third child in the family and a long-awaited son. From birth, the child was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect — a ventricular septal defect. In 2021, the boy underwent surgery to have an occluder fitted. It seemed that the worst was behind him. But, unfortunately, Ivan now needs surgery again. According to the doctors at the M.M. Amosov Institute of Cardiovascular Surgery, the child requires a repeat operation to insert an occluder. The family is raising three children. They are unable to afford the expensive implant on their own.

Anastasia Godina, born 11 February 2021, Kyiv. From the very first days of her life, Anastasia has had to fight for her health. While still in the maternity ward, doctors discovered a patent foramen ovale in the baby. Today, Anastasia requires urgent treatment using an occluder — a special implant that will help close the defect and restore normal heart function. The family lives in difficult financial circumstances. Both parents work, but their income is not enough to cover the cost of the implant – 140,598 UAH. The family is unable to purchase the occluder themselves. Every day for Anastasia is a wait for help. A wait for a chance at a healthy life.

Kira Gromoklitska, born 26 September 2021, Vinnytsia region. Two years ago, during a check-up with her GP for the flu, Kira was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect — a patent ductus arteriosus. She has been under medical supervision ever since. Specialists now emphasise that the operation cannot be postponed any longer; endovascular closure of the duct using an implant is required. The girl’s parents work but do not have a stable income, so the family is unable to raise the funds for the operation on their own. Kira needs help to have a chance at a healthy future. The cost of the implant is 116,202 UAH.