Rised:

2024 year: 926 146 ₴
13 years: 57 261 989 ₴

Breathe freely





COLLECTED UAH 60,562. OCCLUDER PAID. OPERATED.

Four-year-old Polina Pinchuk will be saved by heart surgery.

The girl is four years old. She has a congenital heart defect - an open ductus arteriosus and an open oval window that does not linger. The girl grows - and they increase. Pauline is constantly short of oxygen, she is overcome by bouts of weakness, it becomes difficult to breathe. Urgent endovascular surgery with the use of an occluder - a special "patch" is needed. This is the most gentle method that does not require opening the chest. The girl will be operated on for free, but the occluder must be paid for, and Polina’s parents do not have the necessary amount.


Polina loves to play. Inflatable balls, a toy car- "robot", a doll and fluffy bears - all this instantly begins to move around the room with great speed in the hands of the girl. The order, more precisely, the disorder of the movement of objects is determined by her.

But in just ten minutes the girl is so tired that she sits on the bed or directly on the floor. It seems to Pauline that there is almost no air left in the room, her little heart starts beating fast. She pokes her finger into her chest - shows her mother that there, inside, on the left - it hurts. Pauline can’t explain it in words yet, but her mother understands everything anyway.

"We were still in the maternity hospital when we found signs of heart disease during a routine examination and sent us for an examination," recalls Alina, Polina’s mother. - And it turned out that my daughter has an open ductus arteriosus and an open oval window. - The word "operation" was heard after the first examination, but doctors advised us to wait a bit: there are cases when small defects close on their own, without intervention, - said the doctors.

Polina took medication. The parents were waiting. But the miracle did not happen…

In two and a half years, Polina had her first attack of obstructive bronchitis (an inflammatory disease of the bronchi, which disrupts airway patency - Ufond). And first of all, the parents went to see a cardiologist.

- We have been observed at the Kiev Heart Institute for almost three years, and if doctors used to say that the operation may be avoided, now they insist on urgent closure of the hole, - says Alina.

The attending physician told Polina’s relatives that there were indications for endovascular surgery - sparing, not strip: the hole in the heart is closed by a special device - an occluder. Endovascular surgery, according to doctors, will prevent complications and allow the girl to live a full life. That is, Polina will be able to run with everyone on the street, return to the garden and will sleep peacefully.

- Polina sleeps poorly, about four or five hours in a row, she gets stuffy and wakes up. Doctors say that the heart is not working, the body does not have enough oxygen-saturated blood, due to a defect, Polina has blood stasis in her lungs. When I wake up, my daughter starts to choke, in the summer I open the window or go out on the balcony with her. My daughter needs to breathe fresh air. And then we take medication. It helps, then Polina quickly comes to her senses, - says Alina.

Polina’s mother has been using this method of treatment at least twice a day lately. Otherwise not at all. The girl herself is not yet aware of everything. But one thing upsets her very much - you can’t play as much as you want, you just start the game, you just come up with everything, and that’s it, the forces end there ...

"Where can we find the money to cure our daughter to save her?" I’m on maternity leave, my father is a bus driver. For us, this amount is extraordinary, - admits Alina.

Polina has a wonderful family. Mom - she waited two years for the birth of a daughter. Dad, who came up with his daughter’s affectionate nickname Paul, really wants to play football with her, but can not, because of the frequent attacks of his daughter. But they believe that the daughter will have a happy life of a healthy child…, if she manages to overcome the disease now. So, it’s up to us. Maybe we can give Pauline the most important thing - her healthy heart.

Author Roman Betsenko
Photo Denis Zagorsky

Head of the Department of Endovascular Surgery of the Heart Institute Andrei Khokhlov (Kiev):
"Pauline needs surgical treatment - endovascular occlusion. The operation itself can be done at the expense of the budget, but it requires the purchase of an occluder - a device that will be a "patch" on the girl’s heart. After the operation, the child’s condition will significantly improve. "

The supplier of the occluder issued an invoice for UAH 60,562.

Dear friends! If you decide to save Polina Pinchuk, don’t be confused by the price of rescue. Any of your donations will be gratefully accepted. All the necessary details are in the Fund. You can also use our electronic payment system by making a donation with a credit card or electronic cash, including from abroad.

March 27

, 2017 Responded (took the details): 212 people
Helped: 212 people
Collected: UAH 60,562

09/12/2017
Polina Pinchuk successfully underwent surgery at the Kiev Heart Institute. The open arterial duct is closed through vessels by means of a special spiral occluder. The operation is gentle and minimally invasive. The work of the cardiovascular system is restored, Polina is healthy and feeling well.
Alina, Polina’s mother, thanks Ufond’s readers and partners for their help. Accept our gratitude friends! We will definitely follow the fate of the girl.