Gift of Life helps 50 children during first eight months of 2000 (10/29/00)

Gift of Life helps 50 children during first eight months of 2000

GLEN ROCK, N.J. - In the past eight months, eight children had successful surgeries in Ukraine through "Operation Child Cardi-Care," a program of Ukrainian Gift of Life. In the past three years, 50 children returned home after successful surgery and two more, 11-year-old Mykhailo Kuzmyn and 4-year-old Yuri Lysenchuk, are recovering here through UGL's alliance with Rotary District 7490.

According to Valentyna Kukhar, the mother of the 50th child to have surgery in America, "it was the hand of God" that led them to Dr. Yuri Ivaniv, UGL liaison in Lviv.

George Kuzma, president of the New Jersey-based UGL, explained: "Our programs forge a symbiotic relationship between prayers of the family, the diaspora and good will of Americans and Ukrainians toward saving children's lives and achieving self-sufficiency in Ukraine."

UGL trustees point out that it took many people to save the life of Ms. Kukhar's 4-year-old son, Artur. After the diagnosis from Dr. Ivaniv was accepted, UGL helped Artur and his mother obtain medical visas from the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine and then arranged and paid for their airline tickets. Artur underwent surgery at Montefiore Hospital in the Bronx, where services and facilities are donated except for a nominal fee of $5,000 for open-heart surgery paid by Rotary's Gift of Life Program.

"Individual clubs raise this money and usually provide host families and other support so children can overcome a prognosis for a severely limited and short life," said Stefania Bryant, UGL vice-president.

Ann Kowal, UGL secretary, noted that "God blesses us with many Rotarians and other benevolent people who sacrifice money, time and personal life for this project." She refered to people like the Kurman family who promote UGL at church gatherings or others who rearrange their schedules to take mother and child to Ukrainian worship services, such as Lydia Welyczkowski.

One of many dedicated translators, Ilia Shevchuk, spent time with Ms. Kukhar during Artur's surgery. Ms. Kukhar described the first years of her son's life to Mr. Shevchuk: "His face was discolored, blue, and he could not walk a city block without resting." This was hard to believe as Mr. Shevchuk watched Artur run around their host family's home in Jersey City, N.J., just two weeks after his operation.

Although the end of Artur's story is typical, his case was not. Dr. Henry Issenberg, pediatric cardiologist at Montefiore who maintains e-mail contact with Dr. Ivaniv, confirms that without surgery Artur's life expectancy was 15 years. His major arteries were reversed, creating a hole between pumping chambers and preventing normal blood flow. This condition has a 1 percent experience ratio throughout the world. During a seven-hour operation Dr. Gregory Crooke closed the hole and placed a vein harvested from a cadaver between two major arteries - a procedure performed less than 100 times per year in the United States.

Boarding the plane home, Ms. Kukhar expressed her gratitude: "We will never forget our newly extended family." These sentiments come from many families.

To contribute administrative time, translating services or money to this effort, contact: Ukrainian Gift of Life Inc., Suite 333, 233 Rock Road., Glen Rock, NJ 07452; (201) 652-5505. All contributions are tax-deductible.

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