200 participants, 88 families: children who were treated at Okhmatdyt had the opportunity to relax in the picturesque Ukrainian Carpathians for a year
This was made possible thanks to the close cooperation between Caritas-Spes Ukraine and Caritas Germany
In early July 2024, during a massive rocket attack on Kyiv, russian terrorists attacked one of the country's most famous children's medical facilities, the Okhmatdyt hospital. Horrific images of damaged medical buildings, young patients lying in the open air connected to life support machines, and destroyed operating rooms where emergency surgeries were being performed at the time of the attack spread around the world. Along with them came numerous photos showing the support, solidarity, and compassion of many people who immediately came to Okhmatdyt to help. People cleared the rubble, brought medicine, drinking water, baby food, clothes, toys...
This tragedy shook the international community. Our partners at Caritas Germany were among the first to respond to the disaster, offering their support for a project to help children who were being treated at Okhmatdyt and their families. Working together, we managed to organize health retreats at the Caritas-Spes Yablunytsia Children's Village in the picturesque Carpathian Mountains, where children, accompanied by a parent or guardian, were able to stay for two weeks free of charge, enjoy meals, participate in entertainment activities with animators and master classes, attend sessions with a psychologist, and go on several educational excursions to interesting locations near Yablunytsia. Transportation to the resort was also provided by the project. In addition, thanks to the project, four rooms in the residential building were completely renovated to accommodate families with small children or children with special care needs. Ultimately, all accommodation conditions for project participants provided for separate accommodation for each family in comfortable conditions.
We tried to form groups based on age so that the children would find it more interesting and easier to communicate with each other. The recreational trips also brought mothers together (it was mainly mothers who accompanied the children, as they are the ones who most often devote their time to sick children) and gave them an opportunity to simply pause in their busy lives.
DIRECT SPEECH
Anastasia, mother of three-year-old Darina:
“Thanks to you, we had two weeks of happiness”
Our daughter has a rare genetic disease – atypical spinal muscular atrophy. This diagnosis was made for the first time in Ukraine. At the time of confirmation in 2023, it was the 20th case in the world. The diagnosis is unexplored, with no defined treatment protocols, recommended medications, etc. What helps Darina now is physical therapy, massages, swimming in the pool, and extra vitamins. The disease causes weakness in all muscle groups and delays physical and motor development. Our daughter walks on her own, but she is very unsteady and has not yet learned to get up on her own. Therefore, our efforts are focused on strengthening her physically. She has a special chest structure, which fortunately does not yet affect her heart function, but it does affect her lungs. Therefore, since May of this year, we have been supporting her breathing with a ventilator while she sleeps. Unfortunately, the machine we have, although basically the best, is not suitable for a child who needs it constantly. Therefore, we are now raising funds for a new machine designed specifically for children. It adapts to the child's movements during sleep and, most importantly, has a long-lasting battery, is portable, and can be carried around. Unfortunately, now, during the shelling (and we live in Kyiv), we stay at home and cannot go to a shelter without such a device. I believe that we will be able to raise the necessary funds to purchase it.
At Okhmatdyt, the Center for Pediatric Genetic Diseases, we undergo regular examinations. Previously, we went every three months, but now we have six months between so-called routine examinations, as there has been positive progress in Darina's development.
My impressions of our stay at the Caritas-Spes Yablunytsia Children's Village? It's just “wow”! You see... From the moment our three-month-old baby was suspected of having something wrong with her, until the moment we arrived in Yablunytsia, it was the first time that Darina and I were just mother and daughter. When we didn't have to go to the doctor for a consultation, to therapy, for a massage, or to get tests done. Those were wonderful days when we just walked, rested, and enjoyed moments together. And besides, I was free from my daily chores, at least for a short time. The cuisine here is excellent. Darina has difficulty eating, but she enjoyed everything on vacation. I was pleasantly surprised. I am very grateful to the chefs who listened to our needs. I am grateful to the administrator who responded to our requests as quickly as possible and went out of her way to create the most comfortable conditions for our stay. During the excursion to Hutsul Land, my daughter enthusiastically communicated with the animals, then we stayed to walk in Bukovel – for me, it was such a relief... To be safe, without air raid sirens, with light... We would not have been able to organize such a vacation on our own, even for a week. But here we had two weeks of happiness... Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
Yulia, mother of seven-year-old Kira:
“This vacation is the best thing that has happened to me since my daughter was born”
It was a revelation to me that you can relax like this. Beautiful nature, silence, peace... I hadn't been to the Carpathians for almost 10 years, and here it is – an amazing place with such clean water... I myself work in the production and delivery of drinking water. Therefore, water is a product that I can appreciate. The water in Yablunytsia is so delicious that you can drink it without getting drunk. We purify water, but we will never be able to achieve the same taste as the water I drank in the Carpathians... This vacation is the best thing that has happened to me since Kira's birthday.
I really liked the team of people who work there: they are friendly, sociable, and ready to help. We had no restrictions, and no special expectations were placed on us. My child not only has a disability, but also special educational needs. And for me, it really was a vacation, because I was not required to behave in any particular way or impose restrictions on my daughter. Freedom of movement, choice of schedule, entertainment. Flexibility and willingness to meet us halfway. And for me, as a mother, it was very convenient because it didn't cause me any stress. We chose the excursions ourselves because not everything is suitable for my child. Sometimes it's physically difficult, sometimes large crowds are overwhelming. Sometimes she didn't want to go anywhere at all, so we stayed in our room for the whole day – and that was great too. We avoided anything that might overwhelm Kira. Our family consists of me, my older daughter, who is 23, and Kira. We also have a dog living with us.
When Kira was born, it wasn't immediately clear that something was wrong with her. But at 9 months old, she was diagnosed with Palister-Kilian syndrome. This is caused by a mosaic spontaneous mutation in a chromosome. At four and a half years old, my daughter had her first epileptic seizure, and this diagnosis complicated the situation... At various times, we went through different rehabilitation programs and medical evaluations with her. At the moment, I have refused further treatment because the active rehabilitation program is doing her more harm than good. Now we are focused on physiological and motor development: walks, swimming, and quiet activities at home. Kira attends kindergarten, and I work. The rest of the time we spend looking for sensory stimulation for her. My daughter was diagnosed at Okhmatdyt. She had several scheduled surgeries at this hospital.
Thank you very much for inviting me to participate in this project. It has been a source of inspiration for me. We spent two years in Ireland with our child, where we felt very comfortable in terms of social tolerance. When we returned to Ukraine, unfortunately, we felt the difference in attitude... And this vacation brought me back to a tolerant environment where you are accepted with a special child. Where I didn't have to play the role of defender between other people and my “different” child. Because at home, in Kyiv, I sometimes catch myself thinking that the safest place for us is a park without people, where I can feel calm. We felt very comfortable with you in Yablunytsia. I relaxed and my child felt good, was active and behaved well. This is exactly what we needed...
RENOVATED ROOMS
In numbers
Project “Vacations for children treated at Okhmatdyt and their families”:
- Duration: January-November 2025
- Number of trips: 10
- 200 participants, 88 families
We are sincerely grateful to our partners at Caritas Germany for supporting this extremely important project, which not only gives families from vulnerable groups in society the opportunity to improve their health, but also strengthens our faith in goodness and humanity.
