Kupriichuk Anna

The Kupriichuk family asks everyone who cares to help and not let their only daughter be taken away. For a long four and a half years the family lived in fear and hope that their daughter's diagnosis would not be confirmed. At the age of 8 months, Anechka was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect – a secondary atrial septal defect. There is an opportunity to have a free surgery to install a heart implant. However, the family does not have the funds to purchase it.

Because there was no immediate threat to the child's life, the doctors advised waiting and hoping for a miracle—that the body would develop and the diagnosis would not be confirmed. During that time the family visited all the cardiac centers in Ukraine, but unfortunately the miracle did not happen—the diagnosis was confirmed and is progressing. The doctors urgently recommend surgery. The standard operation performed today free of charge in Ukraine is an open chest surgery, with a long postoperative rehabilitation and a lifelong scar. The parents do not want to disfigure their only daughter.

The family learned that in Kyiv at the Amosov National Institute of Cardiovascular Surgery they can perform an operation without opening the chest. The doctors confirmed this to them, and Ania’s condition also allows an endovascular intervention, which is done through a puncture. After that there is no postoperative rehabilitation, and already on the second day the child is discharged home completely healthy, without a scar.

The surgery itself is performed free of charge, but an occluder (implant) is needed to close the little hole in Ania’s heart. The occluder costs a huge amount for this family – 32 000 UAH. Since the mother does not work and stays at home caring for the child, the family is supported by the father, who is a cadet at the National Academy of the State Emergency Service, and his monthly salary is 2 300 UAH. The mother wept from the hopelessness of the situation. The endovascular surgeon – Bohdan Volodymyrovych Cherpak – told the parents about our foundation and advised them to seek help from the charitable foundation “Future Hearts”.

The charity foundation, realizing that it could not raise such an amount on its own in a short time, approached the Ukrainian Charity Exchange with a proposal for cooperation. Thus the Future Hearts Charity Foundation and the Ukrainian Charity Exchange became partners to help 4‑year‑old Anna acquire a healthy heart. The project launched on 12.11.13, and the fundraising was carried out through the UCB online service. ICTV, in support of Hanna, filmed a story and aired it in “Facts” on 21.11.13.

384 people were moved by the plight of the Kupriyuchuk family and provided financial support of 32 000 UAH. On 22.11.13 the project was completed. A huge thank you to everyone for whom helping a loved one became the meaning of life. Thanks to you, esteemed donors, we were able to purchase an occluder (implant) for Anna. On 11.12.13 at the Amosov National Institute of Cardiovascular Surgery of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, a successful operation to close a congenital heart defect – a secondary atrial septal defect – was performed on Anna Kupriyuchuk. On 13.12.13 Anya was discharged from the clinic as a healthy child. Now we are confident that a long and happy life lies ahead for Anechka

Name: Anna Kupriichuk, 31.07.2009

City: Rivne

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

All details and documentation are here.