Vanya is a code name. The boy doesn’t have an official name yet. He was born with spinal hearnia, weighing 1.5 kg. He’s been abandoned by his parents. He was operated on by a neurosurgeon of the Institute of Neurosurgery and Ohmatdet. He’s been hospitalized at the Ohmatdet since August. His first parcel was delivered to Vanya by our Agent 031 Natalia Kostrova. Thank G-d, Ohmatdet has the necessary meds and antibiotics. We didn’t need to buy much, so we didn’t write about it before. We have spent 1,100 UAH ($46), 220 UAH of which were Natalia’s. Now we’re waiting to know which orphanage Vanya will be sent to. We will give him some of the smallest clothes from our reserves.

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UPD 08 AUG 15
New about Nikita: On Friday, 7/8/15 he finished his first ten-day rehabilitation course. Every morning Nikita had electric stimulation of the legs, bowels, bladder, then a massage, and injections of proserine (very painful) and Gerebrum compositum and citicoline syrup (which he will take for 60 more days). The results are amazing: Nikita has started to control his bladder and bowel movements better (nannies at the orphanage have notices a significant improvement), his legs sensitivity has also improved a lot. Even though, the pre-rehabilitation tests showed that right lower leg, feet and toes of both legs didn’t have any sensitivity, and only the left lower leg showed 10% of the normal sensitivity level. Even the Head of the Department has noted that Nikita has a good chance of restoring sensitivity in legs, intestines and bladder, since he’s responding very well to the treatment. Next course in three months :))
Nikita will be transferred from the ‘very disabled’ group to a ‘relatively healthy’ one at teh orphanage :)) He has five teeth already :))
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A special thank you goes out to SuperAgent Vladimir Nazarenko, who took Nikita to and from treatment every day for the duration of the course :))

UPD 22 JUNE 15
For the last two months Natalia Nazarenko has visited Nikita once or twice a week on a regular basis. Quoting Natasha: «Nikita is in the hospital on A.Navoi Str. The reason: he started suffocating (which is why he was urgently taken to the hospital on June 17th). I visited with him this morning, talked to the Head of the Department. She said that Nikita has an airway obstruction (which is very similar to asthma). The reason is unknown. Nikita has allergies. He’s feeling much better now. He will need additional testing.»

UPD 29 MAY 15
Haven’t written about Nikita in a long time… This doesn’t mean we have forgotten about him, we just don’t have time to write
Nikita has a new friend. Her name is Natalia. Natalia visits Nikita once (sometimes twice) a week; takes him out for a walk, talks to him, plays with him…

UPD 27 MAR 15
Today Olga Reshetnyak visited our boy! Here’s a video she took of him:

UPD 07 FEB 15
Today Olga Reshetnyak and Natalia Graschenkova visited Nikita at the orphanage. He gained weight, grew some cheeks Next week he’ll go to a consult with a neurosurgeon and an orthopeadist. There’s a problem with one leg. Joint dislocation with a callus formed at the place of dislocation. Nikita will most likely need a surgery.

UPD 06 JAN 15
Our volunteer don’t know sleep, or days off, or peace This weekend, before the New Year, Olga Reshetnyak visited our Vanya at the orphanage. Bought him everything he needed: diapers, wetwipes, casting material. He’s a beautiful boy! Was listenning attentively to everything Olya told him. Thank G-d, he can manage without a shunt. Now we’re fighting for his legs. He has dislocations and dysplasia.  But most importantly — he has feeling left in his legs. He has a very good change of being able to walk.

UPD 01 DEC 14
Vanya has been discharged back to the orphanage.

UPD 25 NOV 14
Neurosurgeon, the one who operated on Vanya, went to the hospital on Bohatyrskaya str to check up on Vanya yesterday. He’s doing OK. He’s lively, but the doctor didn’t like the fontanelle, plus there’s been blood in his faeces. On an agreement with the Head of the Department of Infectious Diseases Vanya will have a neurosonography and other tests done. Based on the results the doctors will decide where to discharge him to — the orphanage or the Ohmatdet.

UPD 22 NOV 14
Came back from the visit to the Berizka orphanage with the girls. We wanted to visit the postop Vanya Ch. We couldn’t. On Friday Vanya got a fever, sour throat and he was sent to the pediatric hospital on Bohatyrskaya str. We got to see other children instead though… We met Dima, who has «our» diagnosis — hydrocephalus. He was sitting on a potty and singing :))
Huge thanks to Olga Reshetnyak and Olga Galchuk. They bought 6-7 packs of diapers, wet wipes and baby formula. I bought an electric kettle (I was asked by the head physician). Next week we’ll know how Vanya is doing. Maybe we’ll visit him at the hospital.

UPD 17 NOV 14
Everything is good. Vanya has been discharged back to the orphanage. In a months he’ll have a consult with a neurosurgeon.

UPD 03 NOV 14
Vanya after the surgery. In the ICU for now.

UPD 31 OCT 14

Vanya’s head started growing, brain ventricles have increased in size. All of last week the doctors were deciding how and where to transfer him for the treatment (Pediatric Hospital #7, Institute of Neurosurgery or Ohmatdet). In the end, he was transferred back to Ohmatdet on Wednesday. Today he already has an endoscopy. In a month that he spent at the orphanage he developed a torticollis. As soon as he recovers from surgery we’ll work on that. .

UPD 02 OCT 14
Vanya has been transferred to the orphanage..

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Поступления на счет
16.10.2014 09:19:00 — 3000,00 UAH — благодiйна допомога, згiдно листа N22 вiд 14.10.2014р. Без ПДВ — на Ваню от Геннадия Ткаченко
24.10.2014 10:46:00 — 5000,00 UAH — Благод?йний внесок, без ПДВ ДЛЯ ВАНЕЧКИ, Решетняк Ольга Викторовна
4.11.14 — 500 — Сергеева И.В. — Благотворительный взнос без НДС обеспечение лечения Ванечки (Аваль)
4.11.14 — 100 — Анонимно — Благотворительный взнос без НДС обеспечение лечения Ваня Ч. (Аваль)