A Life Saved Amid the Shelling

On the night of July 9–10, as Kyiv trembled under a massive missile attack, another — quieter but no less fierce — battle was unfolding at the Heart Institute of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine: the fight for the life of 12‑year‑old Kira from Luhansk region.

Kira was admitted to the Heart Institute in a critical condition that kept deteriorating. On the eve of the shelling, July 8–9, doctors urgently implanted a mechanical heart to keep her alive. The very next day, a donor was found — a heart from a six‑year‑old girl, weighing half as much as Kira. In the most tragic of moments, her parents showed extraordinary strength: they consented to the transplantation of their daughter’s heart, liver, and kidneys. Their decision saved three children.

Amid the wail of sirens and the height of the air raid alert, Professor Borys Todurov drove to Okhmatdyt to collect the donor heart. That same night, together with his team, he performed the heart transplant at the Heart Institute.

Today, Kira is recovering, undergoing rehabilitation, and has a chance for a full future.

Photo: Mrs. Liubov, the donor girl’s mother, listening to the heartbeat of her daughter’s heart.

This is a story of strength. Of humanity. And of faith in a better tomorrow — stronger than war.