Peresunko Nastia

‑year‑old Nastuna has a congenital heart defect – a secondary interatrial septal defect. In 2005, when she was one year old, she and her mother were taken to the hospital with a diagnosis of pleuritis; the child had fluid in her lungs. Nastusia spent two months in the hospital where her illness was treated, and after thorough examination the girl was given another distressing diagnosis: congenital heart defect – a secondary interatrial septal defect.

But the doctors told the mother that the diagnosis was uncertain and the child might outgrow it. Even better – to go to Kyiv, where the diagnosis would be confirmed. However, the single mother of many children had no money for a trip to the capital to confirm the diagnosis, and Nastunya had never complained about her heart. At the end of 2014 the girl began to complain of chest pains, and the family was urgently sent to Kyiv to the Amosov National Institute of Cardiovascular Surgery, where the diagnosis was confirmed and they were advised to have surgery immediately, because the girl is growing and the load on her heart is increasing, which could negatively affect the child's health. The surgery itself is free, but the intracardiac implant that closes the defect costs a substantial amount for a large, low‑income family. The sum of 97 370 UAH is something they could never raise on their own. Let’s help 10‑year‑old Nastunya, who dreams of dancing and becoming a famous model, to have a healthy heart!

The large Peresunko family lives in the Mykolaiv region, in the small village of Semenivka, near the mother’s elderly and sick parents. The father abandoned the family before Nastuna was born; he never saw the girl and never provided for her. The mother has raised the children as best she could on her own, working as a cook for half a wage and earning 650 UAH per month. With such little money it is very hard to make ends meet, and gathering enough funds for an implant would be impossible even to survive.

Nastunya is a beautiful, smart, and positive girl. She is very artistic, attends a drama club, and used to take dance lessons, but doctors have now prohibited them. She firmly believes that her little heart will become healthy again, that she will return to dancing, and that in the future she will become a world‑renowned model.

We appeal to all compassionate and caring people: let’s join together to help this wonderful girl get a healthy heart and give Nastuna a chance for a long, happy life!

Full name: Peresunko Anastasiia Oleksandrivna, 16.09.2004

City: Mykolaiv region

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

All details and documentation are here.