Ivano-Frankivsk JSC, together with partners, continues project of assistance to seriously ill Ukrainian children

Another seriously ill child from Ukraine, a 4-year-old resident of Vinnytsia, has left for Italy for treatment. The child has acute lymphoblastic leukemia. She is in the high-risk group. The girl is in dire need of a bone marrow transplant. Assistance for free treatment of seriously ill Ukrainian children in Italian pediatric clinics is possible thanks to the partnership of Ivano-Frankivsk Journalists’ Solidarity Center (JSC) of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU), the Information Department of the Ivano-Frankivsk Archdiocese of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and the Misericordia charity fund, volunteers of the Italian association Anteas Alessandria, and doctors of the Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Children’s Clinical Hospital. During the period of full-scale war, the project Partnership for Victory is being implemented.

“A little Vinnytsia girl was diagnosed with the disease in 2023. The child was treated in Vinnytsia for a year. Then, she was at home on supportive therapy. However, during the infectious disease she suffered, in particular, a severe form of coronavirus disease, a relapse occurred. The girl underwent a course of high-dose chemotherapy according to the European protocol in Ukraine, but the treatment exhausted all possibilities. Vinnytsia doctors turned to us for help. As part of the Partnership for Victory project, we asked for help from volunteers from the Italian association Anteas Alessandria, headed by Luciano Cartolano,” said Uliyana Stashko, a pediatric anesthesiologist in the neonatal intensive care unit of the regional children’s clinical hospital, co-founder of the Foundation of Benefactors charitable foundation, which operates at the hospital. According to her, the girl has already been hospitalized in the pediatric clinic of Ancona. She is undergoing appropriate diagnostics in order to determine the further course of treatment. Her parents are next to her. The clergy and volunteers of the pastoral care of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church of Ancona took care of the accommodation and stay of the relatives of the seriously ill child. As Uliyana Stashko noted, if a bone marrow transplant is necessary, the girl will be sent for treatment to the Vatican pediatric hospital Bambino Gesù in Rome.

As part of the Partnership for Victory project, notes the coordinator of the Ivano-Frankivsk JSC, Viktoriya Plakhta, six seriously ill children from Ukraine are currently receiving free treatment in pediatric clinics in the cities of Ancona and Turin. In particular, one child was operated on in the hospital of Ancona and now periodically comes to Italy for examination. All the others continue to receive treatment.

“Unlimited gratitude to the Italian association “Anteas Alessandria,” personally to its president Luciano Cartolano and his volunteer colleague Maurizio Maraschi, for their care for Ukrainian children, understanding and support of our families in such a difficult period for our country. We highly appreciate the humane attitude of Italian doctors, their generosity, and the help they show to our children and their families. Special thanks to our good friend, comrade, and project partner, Father Ivan Stefurak. The Misericordia charity foundation of the Ivano-Frankivsk Archdiocese of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, which he heads, is doing everything possible to transport children from high-risk groups to Italy and organize treatment for them there. We are all doing an important job – we are giving seriously ill children another chance at life,” noted Viktoriya Plakhta.

The network of Journalists’ Solidarity Centers is an initiative of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine, implemented in collaboration with the International and European Federations of Journalists and UNESCO and with the support of the People of Japan. Our primary goal is to assist media professionals working in Ukraine during the war. The Centers are active in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro, Lviv, and Ivano-Frankivsk. The project is part of UNESCO’s broader efforts to support the Safety of Journalists and Freedom of Expression in Ukraine.

Call the Ivano-Frankivsk JSC at 066 677 0726 (Viktoriya Plakhta, the coordinator of the Ivano-Frankivsk JSC). The Center’s address is 25 Sichovykh Striltsiv Street.

Bohdana Zasidko

Ivano-Frankivsk JSC