Tkachenko Mykhaylyk

When ten‑year‑old Mykhailyk was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect – coarctation of the aorta – it was discovered completely by accident in August 2015. One day the boy suddenly felt unwell, his head spun and his nose started bleeding. When his mother measured his blood pressure, she thought the sphygmomanometer was broken: Myshka’s pressure spiked up to 150/100. And this pressure could not be lowered even with pills or injections.

Urgently we went to the regional hospital, where after a thorough examination Mishkovyi was given a diagnosis that, unfortunately, was confirmed later in Kyiv at the Amosov National Institute of Cardiovascular Surgery. The boy urgently needs a cardiac implant (stent) to widen the narrowing in his aorta, which will normalize blood pressure and restore the heart’s physiological function. If an intracardiac implant is not placed in time, the elevated pressure in the vessels of the brain could lead to a stroke at any moment.

Letter from a mother:

Good day, kind hearts! I’m Mariyana, Mykhailyk’s mother. We lived until this autumn just like most people. In some ways we denied ourselves, in others we allowed things. My husband worked at the Vagar spirit factory, but the plant stopped for unclear reasons, and now he is out of work. I traveled to Kyiv for side jobs, caring for sick people. Feeding the family is saved by the home economy and the garden. In our small village there is no work, and moving somewhere else is also difficult—it requires money.

But we endure everything, even foreign‑currency loan debt and not having our own home, as long as everyone in the family is healthy and alive! Yet we have faced another trial. We have two wonderful sons, 8 and 10 years old. And one “beautiful morning” in August, just before school started after the summer break, the older child’s nose started bleeding. Usually everyone blames fragile blood vessels, but for some reason I decided to measure his blood pressure. To my surprise, the reading was 150/100. I thought the sphygmomanometer was broken, gathered my son, and we went to the clinic. It was confirmed – the injection didn’t lower the pressure. We went to the district, were referred to the regional level, and the cardiologist, after an ECHO, diagnosed coarctation of the aorta. She sent us to Kyiv for further examination and confirmation. At the Amosov National Institute of Cardiovascular Surgery everything was confirmed.

Now we are asking for help from caring people, because the amount needed for our family is simply huge. People, please respond, help in any way you can! We cannot delay, my son constantly has high blood pressure. I can’t even imagine him suffering a stroke at 10 years old. Thank you all very much, wishing you strong health and all the best!

The family has raised 6 000 UAH on its own. But, unfortunately, without your help they will not reach the needed amount. Let’s join together to heal Mykhailyk’s heart!

Full name: Tkachenko Mykhailo Olehovych, 08.08.2005

City: Kyiv

Diagnosis: congenital heart defect – coarctation of the aorta

All the details and documentation are here.