Living with no limits. 2

What this boy is courageously enduring may be beyond the capacity of many adults...

"Look at that fashionable kid – he’s wearing heels!’ a woman exclaims loudly upon seeing Vasia’s shoes. "Here we go again…", Vasia is upset, longing to finish this forced walk and return home as soon as possible. After eight years of battling osteosarcoma and its consequences, he might have expected to have grown accustomed to the stares and comments from strangers, but at 15, it’s not easy. At this age, all he wants is to be "like everyone else".

You can’t explain to everyone that in order to overcome cancer and survive, Vasia had to have an endoprosthesis fitted to his injured leg when he was just 11 years old. Over the course of four years, the endoprosthesis managed to ‘outgrow’ his healthy leg by half, or 15 centimeters! If this continues, not even "fashionable heels" will be able to help him, as he won’t be able to walk normally at all.

The Mutars endoprosthesis with an updated growth module is capable of gently lengthening Vasia’s limb, compensating for the difference in leg length. This, in turn, will prevent his internal organs from being displaced and his spine from becoming distorted. This replacement surgery will also save him from the unbearable pain he experiences during almost every trip, especially when sitting down.

Most importantly, the surgery will give Vasia a future where he can move freely, independently, and without restrictions. This kind of mobility is something most of us take for granted, but for Vasia, it will be life-changing.

As a single mother who lost her husband in a car accident and is raising two children during a war, it is impossible for her to purchase a prosthesis worth 1,356,922 UAH on her own:

"What is so special about my child that people would respond and support us in such difficult times? I don’t know... All children are special. But I know that my son is a strong person who is doing everything in his power to get back on his feet. To go through several surgeries, then bravely undergo all the painful rehabilitation, while remaining a cheerful boy – not every adult can do it. However, there are things that cannot be handled alone. Only may people can do it together. That is what we hope for".