Born Under Fire: A Son’s Heart Saved Amid the War

Maxym’s parents waited for his arrival with hearts full of hope for perfect happiness. His mother’s pregnancy went smoothly, with no complications. But everything changed on February 24, 2022, when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The family’s joy and anticipation were replaced with fear — fear for their child’s life. They did everything possible to ensure the safety of both the mother and the unborn baby.

Maxym was born in May 2022, and just as the family was trying to adjust to life in wartime, they were hit with even more devastating news — doctors diagnosed the newborn with a congenital heart defect. Although the condition wasn’t immediately life-threatening, doctors emphasized the need for constant monitoring and a comprehensive medical evaluation, which could only be performed at the Amosov National Institute of Cardiovascular Surgery in Kyiv.

But their hometown was under constant shelling from Russian forces, making travel to the capital extremely dangerous. For months, the family hesitated to make the journey. In the meantime, Maxym grew and delighted his loved ones with every little milestone, helping them forget — if only for a moment — the heavy burden they carried. Yet the worry about his heart never left them.

Once Ukrainian defenders pushed the front lines farther from their town, Maxym’s parents made the brave decision to travel to Kyiv. There, specialists confirmed their worst fears: Maxym had a perimembranous ventricular septal defect (VSD). Surgery was urgently needed. Without hesitation, the parents agreed.

Surgeons at the Amosov Institute operated