NEWS AND VIEWS

A thank you from the parents of little Mariyka of Vilkhivtsi

by Lesya Priymak

In the village of Vilkhivtsi, Horodenka raion, Ivano-Frankivsk oblast, lives a little girl, Mariyka Priymak, who was born with a serious heart ailment. We don't know if this misfortune was a result of her father's direct participation in the early clean-up of the Chornobyl disaster, or perhaps some other reason. The child, in order to live, required a definitive surgical correction of the defect. Certainly, some help was obtained early on in Kyiv, thanks to the Kyiv Institute of Cardio-Vascular Surgery. This help was only temporary and did not guarantee a normal lifespan for this child. We had already given up all expectations that we would be able to save the life of our little daughter. All our hopes were placed on the mercy and intercession of the Almighty God.

And the unexpected happened. Through the efforts of the Rev. Petro Semenych of the Ukrainian National Catholic Shrine of the Holy Family in Washington, and the parents of one of his parishioners, Dr. Leonid and Oksana Mostovych of Lexington, Ky., a young Ukrainian American doctor, heart surgeon Marko Mostovych took an interest in little Mariyka's fate. Thus began letters, telephones and trips to Kyiv to obtain a visa. And one day, having fought through insurmountable obstacles, I found myself with my little daughter in the distant land of Washington.

Dr. Marko Mostovych and his wife, Rhonda, took us into their home in Jacksonville, Fla. The Wolfson Children's Hospital enabled Dr. Mostovych to perform a radical corrective heart operation after several diagnostic tests were completed by Dr. Mostovych's colleagues. The operation and the journey were at no cost to us, as we would never have had the means to cover the expenses.

From that day on, my daughter has two fathers. One - her biological father, who gave her life, and the other - Dr. Marko Mostovych, who gave her the chance to save and extend that life. I came to America with a child with blue lips, but now am returning with a child with rosy cheeks. Dear Dr. Marko, if it will ever be possible for you to help other sick children from Ukraine, who want to live, then the Good Lord and Ukraine will forever be grateful.

I was moved to the depth of my soul by the overwhelming generosity of the Mostovych family towards me and my child. How wonderful that former emigrants from Ukraine and their children have not forgotten their people, their unfortunate motherland, and that they try to help with whatever means they have until our country will be able to raise the level of health care to an appropriate standard. But until that time it is not right for us to criticize our country, which was born looted and exploited both physically and spiritually. It needs good surgeons, and we believe that with God's help they will come. I am grateful to the Mostovych family, Dr. Leonid and his wife, Oksana, and especially to Dr. Marko, as well as to the entire Ukrainian diaspora, among which live many Ukrainians who have not forgotten their Fatherland, their language, and help us in whatever way possible.

I am returning to Ukraine with not only the healed heart of my child, but also with my healed soul. And although it is so beautiful in America, it will now be better and happier to live in Ukraine, because this God-blessed land is worthy of this life, under the bright sun and blue skies.

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, June 29, 1997, No. 26, Vol. LXV

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