Balʹnykh Yuliia

At just 7 years old, Yulichka was declared disabled: she has a sick heart. While undergoing a medical commission before school enrollment, the girl's congenital heart defect—a secondary atrial septal defect that wasn’t even audible—was discovered completely by chance. Now the child urgently needs surgery to implant a device to correct the defect. The goal of this project is to help Yulia’s low‑income family raise money to purchase such an implant.

Yulia constantly gets sick with colds. Because of her heart condition, blood pools, and any cold quickly turns into bronchitis and lung inflammation. The girl has already suffered bilateral pneumonia, and the number of bronchitis episodes is countless.

In the past two years Yulichka has become weaker and frailer, and she gets tired quickly. At 7 years old she weighs 16 kg and is 120 cm tall; the girl eats very poorly, yet she remains active and does well at school. She loves drawing very much and is growing into a cheerful and kind child. Doctors, after the implant surgery, guarantee a full recovery for the child. The family lacks 11 252 UAH to purchase the occluder (this implant). Only the father works in the household, and his salary is low. The mother had to leave her job in order to stay at home and care for the sick child, as Yulichka is constantly ill and undergoes both home and outpatient treatment. The amount of 11 252 UAH is unaffordable for the Balnykh family.

At the Future Hearts charity foundation, from the previous projects “Save Two Hearts” and “Save Danilka’s Little Heart,” 20 748 UAH remains. We want to help Yuli, but this amount is not enough to purchase the implant, so we are turning to you with a request to help us raise 11 252 UAH so that Yulichka can live a full life. Over the past two years Yulichka has become weak and frail, getting tired quickly. At seven years old she weighs 16 kg at a height of 120 cm; the girl eats very poorly, yet remains active and does well at school. She loves drawing very much and is growing up as a cheerful and good child.

The scheduled operation had to be postponed to day 21 due to quarantine at the Scientific and Practical Center of Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine. Future Hearts Charity Foundation immediately purchased an occluder (implant) for Yuli, and the operation was scheduled after the quarantine ended at the medical facility for March. On 12.03.14, a successful operation to close a congenital heart defect – a secondary atrial septal defect – was performed on Yuli Balnykh. On 14.03.14, Yulichka was discharged from the hospital as a healthy child. Soon Yuli will have her disability status removed, and she will return to a full life without constant respiratory illnesses.

Name: Balnykh Yuliia, 31.05.2006 yr.

City: Odesa

Diagnosis: congenital heart defect – secondary defect of the interatrial septum

All details and documentation are here.