A Miracle in Pediatric Cardiac Surgery at the Heart Institute
Six-year-old Yevhen received a donor heart after a long and difficult fight for life.
The boy from Zhytomyr, who had been balancing between life and death and required support from two ECMO machines simultaneously, is now preparing to be discharged home.
Kyiv, July 10 — At the Heart Institute of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, one of the most dramatic stories in modern pediatric cardiac surgery has reached a happy conclusion. Six-year-old Yevhen from Zhytomyr was in critical condition in intensive care, connected to two ECMO machines at once. Following a successful heart transplantation, the boy underwent a long recovery period and is now preparing to return home.
When Yevhen was admitted to the Heart Institute, his condition was critical. Dilated cardiomyopathy had nearly destroyed his heart function — it was barely contracting.
Yevhen is the only child in his family. His mother, Yuliia, is a medical worker, and his father, Viktor, is a former combat medic of the 95th Air Assault Brigade. In March of this year, the previously healthy boy fell ill with a common viral infection, which led to severe complications. Inflammation rapidly worsened his condition and resulted in serious heart damage.
To save the child’s life, doctors resorted to a unique procedure: they connected him to biventricular ECMO — two parallel machines that completely replaced the function of his heart.
Four cannulas extended from Yevhen’s chest, maintaining blood flow through the aorta and pulmonary artery. It was an extremely complex and risky procedure — such systems cannot function for long, and every hour could have been his last.
When Yevhen’s condition reached a critical threshold, the Director of the Heart Institute, Borys Todurov, appealed to colleagues across Ukraine.
“Every day in intensive care units across the country, tragedies occur — strokes, severe injuries after accidents. But sometimes these tragedies can become lifesaving for another person. It is only necessary to identify a potential donor in time and carry out all procedures properly,” said Borys Todurov.
An Easter Miracle
The answer came when hope was nearly gone. Thanks to the cooperation of doctors and the courageous decision of a donor’s family from Kamianets-Podilskyi, three people — including little Yevhen — received a chance at life.
Doctors at Kamianets-Podilskyi City Hospital, together with the Heart Institute team, performed organ retrieval. The heart transplantation surgery was successful.
After the operation began long months of complex rehabilitation. Yevhen gradually returned to life under the close supervision of the medical team. Each day brought small victories: his first independent breaths without machines, his first steps, his first words.
Soon, the boy will be able to return home to Zhytomyr — with a new heart and new opportunities for a happy childhood.
In the photo with Yevhen is Solomiika, a legend of pediatric transplantation.
For the first time in Ukraine, such a young child — only six years old — received a donor heart, and it was a child’s donor heart. That story, two years ago, resonated across the entire country. The posthumous donor was a boy whose mother, herself a medical worker, made the incredibly difficult decision that saved the lives of three children awaiting transplantation, including Solomiika.
Today we see these children smiling — and we rejoice together with them.
May their hearts beat for a very, very long time.