«The heart beats thanks to...»: 600 718 UAH for children’s operations
For the 12th time, the All-Ukrainian charitable organization "Ukrainian Relief Fund" supported the «Heart beats thanks to...» action - an initiative of the "Fora" chain of stores, in the framework of which funds from the purchase of promotional goods were deducted from the Fund's account. This time, 600,718 hryvnias were collected for endovascular operations for children with heart defects. The collected amount was spent on six implants. And this means that the best surgeons of Ukraine will be able to perform operations on six seriously ill children. For the entire duration of the "Heart beats thanks to..." campaign, 41 children were helped. Director of the "Ukrainian Relief Fund" Roman Bytsenko emphasized the importance of early surgery. "If this operation is performed in a timely manner, the children will not have developmental complications in the future. That is, if this defect is removed in childhood, then in a year, children will be able to return to a full-fledged life, including even sports activities. Our wards get a chance to live without restrictions and prohibitions. And the more operations we perform, the more Ukrainians will not be at risk of heart attacks or any other heart complications in the future," Roman emphasized. Dmytro Besh, surgeon of the First Medical Association of Lviv, told about the peculiarities of endovascular procedures. The first feature is a completely painless intervention, after which the child can live a normal life already on the second day. For comparison, the doctor provided details of an alternative to this modern procedure - a method of major surgery that involves cutting the chest and stopping the heart. "Endovascular surgery is painless, safe to perform and has no serious consequences." It would seem, solid advantages. But there is a second feature - high cost. "Both in our country and abroad, implants for surgery are very expensive. Therefore, because of the price, parents take the announced risks of a major operation. Unfortunately, government purchases are enough to cover 20-30% of the needs for this equipment. That is, the majority of patients stand in queues for implants for years. And that's why it's very good that such promotions are held, and we can perform more operations on children. With this help, the procedure becomes absolutely free for small patients," Dmytro Besh emphasized. Oksana Perekupko, communications officer of the "Fora" store chain, noted that before the start of the full-scale war, operations were conducted in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, and Odesa. The main specialist hospitals were in Kyiv, at the National Institute of Cardiovascular Surgery named after M. M. Amosov and at the Kyiv Heart Institute. But with the beginning of a full-scale war, operations were moved to Lviv and Vinnytsia. Each operation takes place under the expert supervision of specialists from the United States, Great Britain, Poland and Germany. "We sincerely thank our partners who support this campaign year after year and give children a chance for a full life. And we also sincerely thank our guests - every time we monitor the increased demand for promotional products. It is important to help people. We appreciate it very much." Lyubov Humenyak, the mother of 9-year-old Anastasia, who was recently operated on, still does not believe that it was her child who received help in such a short time. "I thought this was only on TV - but here I filled out the questionnaire, and they told us that they would help. Only three months have passed since the date of application to the fund. We spent three days in the hospital - and here we are, happy, already at home!". The woman says she cannot find the words to express her gratitude. "I understand how difficult it is to organize everything and take responsibility for collecting such large sums. It's good that in these difficult times there are people who do it." My father, who has been defending Ukraine at the front since the beginning of the full-scale war, joins in the thanksgiving. We would like to remind you that every year "Ukrainian Aid Fund" together with "Fora" organize the campaign "The heart beats thanks to..." and give the opportunity to young Ukrainians with heart defects to return to a full life. Reference information All-Ukrainian charitable organization "Ukrainian Aid Fund" (Ufund) began its work in January 2010. The main direction of the Fund is targeted fundraising, assistance to children under 18 years of age. Over time, humanitarian aid to orphanages and medical institutions of Ukraine was added to the Foundation's programs. The Foundation's mission is to save seriously ill children, promote the development of civil society, and introduce advanced medical technologies. The national chain of convenience stores "Fora" has been operating on the Ukrainian market since 2002 and belongs to the Fozzy Group trade and industrial group. Currently, the chain has about 300 stores in more than 80 settlements of Ukraine, including the premium food market Favore. Since 2020, "Fora" has been developing the shop.fora.ua online store