Mariika Pakholchyk's rescued little heart

Once again, our benefactor from Lviv, Viktoria Vysotska, is helping a child with a congenital heart defect. Thanks to her support, a kind heart, and the people who joined the fundraiser, we were able to purchase the necessary occluder for Mariika Pakholchyk.

Mariika Pakholchack has been fighting for her life and health since she was a baby. Even during pregnancy, doctors discovered a severe heart defect in the child – an interventricular septal defect. At that time, the parents were given almost no hope and were warned that the child might not survive.

After birth, Mariika’s condition was critical. She couldn’t breathe on her own, her lungs hadn’t expanded, and there were bleedings from her nose and mouth. The newborn was immediately transferred to the neonatal intensive care unit, where the girl spent the first three months of her life. Despite the grim prognosis, Mariika kept fighting. Day by day, alongside the doctors and her family.

Later, the family made frequent trips for examinations and consultations to Vinnytsia and Kyiv. However, because the child’s weight was low, the doctors could not perform the surgery for a long time—the intervention was too risky for the child.

Now the cardiac surgeons have confirmed: Mariika needs to undergo an operation to place an occluder before she turns six, to prevent dangerous complications in the future. An occluder is a special implant that helps close a heart defect and restore its normal function.

Mariika is growing up in a large family, her parents raise five children. The family could not afford to purchase the expensive implant on their own.

On May 26, 2026, Mariika Pakholchyk was successfully operated on and an occluder costing 147,018 UAH was implanted.

Viktoriia personally came to the hospital to greet Mariika after the operation and support the family on this important day.

We sincerely thank Viktoriia Vysotska and every donor who contributed to the fundraiser. Your support is not just a closed collection. It is a child's heart that has been given a chance to beat healthier. It is relief for a family that has spent many years waiting for surgery. It is a future where Mariika will have more strength, peace, and a childhood.

Thank you for saving Mariika’s heart!