Lust for Life: Stage 3

Our longtime friends, of course, remember Igor Marchenko. In 2009, the boy underwent surgery because of heart disease. Unfortunately, the operation was unsuccessful. The occluder was dropped into the bloodstreams so as result during 20 minutes the child was in condition of clinical death. The consequences of of the coma appeared after few weeks, when at Igor was found right hemiparesis: the boy moved worse with his right arm and leg.

And then Igor and his mother Svetlana faced with all charms of domestic medicine. Igor treatment had be in the same way as the rehabilitation of cerebral palsy. But rehabilitation centers did not take the child - because he needed observation of the cardiologist, and there was no such a doctor in their staff.

In fact, in any medical institution of the country nobody could help Igor but he was not putted in turn for getting quotas for treatment abroad. For many months Svetlana was every day coming to officials' cabinets but she was unable to break through this wall. In a private conversation doctors advised her to take the child out of the country – there is nobody to help there.

Igor was getting worse, and mother began to to look for opportunities abroad. The Slovak clinic "Adele" accepted Igor for the rehabilitation. The course fee has been certainly considerable. That's time when we and you met Igor and Svetlana. Thanks to your support little Igor visited "Adele" and it turned out that it is "his" Clinic: disease began to retreat.

In the clinic the boy was swimming with pleasure in the pool. Surprisingly, in the water there started to work his hand, that was held down by paresis. Igor was noticed by representatives of the Slovak Association of Paralympic sport, and when mother received offer from the president of the Association to study in the Slovak Paralympic School, she accepted it without hesitation. The most important thing was that Igor with his diagnosis could found his place in life.

Svetlana with sons went to Slovakia - and we breathed a sigh with relief, hoping that Igorek will receive necessary treatment and will achieve success in the sport.
The reality was quite different. As Igor is Ukrainian citizen, he cannot play for national  team of the country. Rehabilitation in "Adele" is as expensive as before, - for the same reason. Therefore, Svetlana decided that for her son it would be better to grow with healthy peers - and Igor is studying in a regular school and is visiting a regular swimming section.

To provide family with necessities, mother has to work 12 hours a day, 7 days a week at working positions, putting away two diplomas of higher education. The eldest son is studying in high school and all his weekend is working too. The family is huddling in a small dorm room. To improve their situation can only obtaining of citizenship but before that they have to live for few more years in Slovakia. Local charities wouldn’t raise funds for the Ukrainian.

During all this time the only rehabilitation for Igor was sport: swimming and boxing. Also boy rides on roller skates and managed to go to Austria by bike, gift from the Association of Paralympic sport. However, this can not replace real rehabilitation. As before, the leg sometimes can suddenly straighten, tendons are in need of stretching, the hand does not work well.

The course in "Adele" costs 7 738 euros, and for family every cent on account is important. Please support Igor!

This project was canceled, the amount collected is 8 600,83 UAH. The funds were disposed of in accordance with the Rules, Principles, and Procedures of the Ukrainian Philanthropic Marketplace (UBB) International Charitable Fund and the decisions of the Project Donors.

Name: Igor S. Marchenko, born 20/07/2003

Location: Dnipropetrovsk

Diagnosis: Right sided spastic hemiparesis, extrapyramidal insufficiency, ischemic stroke