Partnership for Victory: with the support of Ivano-Frankivsk JSC, a 4-year-old child from Ukraine sent for treatment in Italy

A seriously ill four-year-old boy from the Ivano-Frankivsk Region was given a chance to recover. The child was diagnosed with retinoblastoma in both eyes – there is no vision in one eye at all, and the boy sees only twenty percent in the other. Thanks to the Partnership for Victory project, which is jointly implemented by the Ivano-Frankivsk Journalists’ Solidarity Center (JSC) of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU) in cooperation with the Information Department of the Ivano-Frankivsk Archdiocese of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, the Misericordia Charity, the Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Children’s Clinical Hospital with the support of volunteers from the Italian association Anteas Alessandria, the child is already undergoing examination at the Vatican Pediatric Hospital Bambino Gesù (translated as Little Jesus) in Rome.

Diana Perehinska, a hematologist at the Department of Oncohematology and Chemotherapy of the Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Children’s Clinical Hospital, said that the child’s disease was discovered when he was three months old. For a long time, the boy was treated in one of the specialized clinics of Ukraine. Unfortunately, due to a malignant tumor, the child had one eye removed. However, the disease continued to progress and affected the second eye.

“The only salvation for this child is to continue treatment using the most modern methods of cancer therapy in one of the leading European clinics in order to stop the progression of the disease clinically and get a chance to save the second eye. Unfortunately, it is already affected by the disease, but it is possible that it can still be saved. We are very grateful to everyone who helped the child. Now we are waiting for the result. We all hope that a miracle will happen!” said Alla Ivanenko, he head of the Department of Oncohematology and Chemotherapy of the Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Children’s Clinical Hospital.

According to the pediatric anesthesiologist of the neonatal intensive care unit of the Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Children’s Clinical Hospital / co-founder of the charity Foundation of Benefactors Uliyana Stashko, ophthalmologists-oncologists of the Vatican pediatric clinic Bambino Gesù have already held three consultation meetings with the seriously ill boy and performed a number of examinations in order to resolve the issue of the child’s treatment.

“We take a very responsible approach to organizing the child’s move abroad accompanied by his parents. This is preceded by many hours of negotiations and preparation. We usually agree on their daily life, housing and food, and also prepare documentary support, which is no less important. We often help financially. Many people are always involved in this process. Huge gratitude to everyone who does not refuse, who is always ready to come to the rescue, for all kinds of support for families with a seriously ill child,” said Uliyana Stashko.

Director of the Information Department of the Ivano-Frankivsk Archdiocese of the UGCC, head of the Misericordia Charity Foundation, Father Ivan Stefurak, during a working meeting of the project participants, expressed gratitude to the Italian benefactors for their care for Ukrainian children, understanding and support for their families. He also assured that the Misericordia Charity Foundation of the Ivano-Frankivsk Archdiocese of the UGCC, which he heads, will continue to do everything possible to transport children from high-risk groups to Italy and organize treatment for them there.

“We have reliable partners in the person of Italian volunteers and doctors. Pediatric clinics in Turin and Ancona, and now one of the leading pediatric centers in Europe – the Vatican Pediatric Hospital Bambino Gesù – have become an important place of salvation for Ukrainian children. There is no such thing as someone else’s trouble. Together we will overcome all trials!” emphasized Father Ivan Stefurak.

As noted by the coordinator of the Ivano-Frankivsk JSC, Viktoriya Plakhta, during the period of the full-scale war in Ukraine, ten seriously ill children from Ukraine were sent to Italy for free treatment within the framework of the project Partnership for Victory.

“We are infinitely grateful to everyone who supports our project and helps Ukrainian families fight for the lives of their seriously ill children. May your good deeds multiply and inspire others!” emphasized Viktoriya Plakhta, addressing the project partners with words of gratitude.

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.

Contact 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