Illya Varchuk

Look at this smiling little one! Seeing him makes you want to smile and keep living. Unfortunately, this child urgently needs our help. This is Illiushka, three years old, and from birth he was found to have a congenital heart defect – an interatrial septal defect. For three years his parents hoped the defect would close on its own, but with each examination the defect grew larger. Now Illiushka needs an urgent surgery to close it.

Illya’s family lives in a village; his mother does not work and cares for her son (the boy often gets colds, so he is not accepted into kindergarten), and his father receives a minimum salary. On their own, with the help of relatives and acquaintances, the family managed to raise 30 000 UAH, but the remaining 59 880 UAH could not be collected without the support of caring people. Let’s together save the heart of this wonderful little one!

Letter from a mother:

Illya was born on March 3, 2014. Immediately after being discharged from the maternity hospital, we were referred with our son to the Vinnytsia Regional Hospital. During a full examination of the child, he was diagnosed with a congenital defect of the atrial septum. We were placed under the care of a regional pediatric cardiologist, and when Illya was 7 months old, we were referred from the Vinnytsia Regional Hospital to the Amosov National Institute of Cardiovascular Surgery. There our diagnosis was confirmed, and we were told to wait a little longer because the defect might close on its own. However, during the entire time we were observed at the Institute, there was no improvement in Illyushka; the defect grew. Then the doctor advised us to come back in a year, saying that perhaps the situation would improve then.

On March 15, when Illiushka turned three full years old, we underwent an echocardiographic examination. The diagnosis we received was a congenital atrial septal defect (ASD II) measuring 0.5 cm. The doctors said that surgical intervention is needed: an endovascular closure of the defect using an occluder. The operation at the Amosov National Institute of Cardiovascular Surgery is performed free of charge, but we must purchase the intracardiac implant ourselves, which costs almost 90 000 UAH. This is a very large sum for us. I am not working, Illiushka is often ill, my husband works and receives a minimal salary, and on top of that he pays alimony! We are asking for help from all compassionate and caring people! Please help and give us hope that our child will be healthy.

Full name: Varchuk Illia Yaroslavovych, 03.03.2014

Town: village of Luka-Meleshkivska, Vinnytsia oblast

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

All details and documentation are here.