The Brave Heart of a Little Fighter

This is the story of a family from Mariupol who lost their home, peace and confidence in the future because of the war. But the biggest challenge they faced was the daily struggle for the health of their young son.

Ivan was born weak, with a difficult start in life. From the moment he was born, they fought for him: for every breath, every gram of weight, every movement, and every hope. His diagnosis was cerebral palsy (CP). It is not just a developmental delay, it is a struggle with a body that does not obey. For a long time, the boy could not hold his head, crawl or eat on his own. But thanks to constant rehabilitation, treatment and boundless parental love, Ivan learned to do things that other children take for granted.

Living with cerebral palsy means continuous classes, specialists, massages, physical therapy, orthoses, and medications. All this is expensive, but necessary.

Later, the family faced another challenge – Ivan's vision problems. At the Kyiv Institute of Eye Microsurgery, the boy was fitted with a contact implant, but part of his vision could not be saved.

Despite all the difficulties, the family does not give up. The boy continues to undergo rehabilitation courses, dreams of running, seeing the sun and reading fairy tales like other children. And he has this chance - but without support, they will not cope.