Restoring the Taste of Life

On World Donor and Transplantation Day, we had the honor of joining a heartfelt breakfast with children whose lives were saved through organ transplantation.
Each story is a testament to resilience and hope:
• Solomiia entered first grade just two months after her heart transplant. Now in third grade, she sings and runs her own blog.
• Dmytro, after receiving a kidney transplant, swam in a pool for the first time.
• Olena discovered a love for reading and dreams of becoming a writer.
• Kyra shared her passion for drawing and the joy of being able to create freely. Kyra shared her passion for drawing and the joy of being able to create freely. Her story is especially moving: one night, under Russian shelling, Dr. Borys Todurov personally transported a donor heart to the Heart Institute for her. At that time, Kyra was in intensive care, her life sustained by a mechanical heart. The transplant was nothing short of life-saving.
• Margarita, who underwent transplantation four years ago, is now a first-year medical student.

Before their surgeries, these children lived under severe restrictions—some couldn’t even drink enough water. Transplantation gave them back not only their health, but their childhoods.
Together with Ukrainian chef Yevhen Klopotenko, the children prepared traditional dishes and shared their dreams at the same table with their doctors. It was a celebration of life, possibility, and the future.
Transplantation is not only about survival. It’s about restoring dignity, enabling dreams, and unlocking potential.

Yet over 113 children in Ukraine are still waiting for their chance—waiting for a donor organ that could save their lives.
Today, we extend our deepest gratitude to everyone who has chosen to give life: to blood donors, to families who found the strength to say “yes” to organ donation, and to every medical professional who makes these miracles possible.

Thanks to you, our patients live. They simply live—and that is the greatest miracle of all.
Special thanks to the Heart Institute of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, Dr. Borys Todurov, Dr. Sofiia Chaikovska, the dedicated transplant teams, the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, and the Ukrainian Transplant Coordination Center.