He might not have been born...

In the fourth month of pregnancy, the doctor told the mother: "a defect incompatible with life, the pregnancy must be terminated." Although children like Bohdanchyk Melnyk have been surviving for a long time now. The main thing is to fall into reliable hands.

Bohdanchyk was a very longed-for son in the family of Olena and Pavlo. They already had a daughter and really wanted a brother for her. But in one moment, when they went to the doctor in Melitopol, the ground slipped from under their feet.

"No, they won't agree to this!" the couple immediately decided. Fortunately, Olena's gynecologist immediately reassured them by phone. She said that in Kyiv, children like her son are given a chance. This was later confirmed at IPAG (Institute of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology) – the only place in Ukraine where children with gastroschisis are born.

Gastroschisis is one of the most complex defects with which newborns are born. It is a congenital defect of the anterior abdominal wall, in which loops of the intestines, and sometimes other organs, fall out of the abdominal cavity through a split.

With his intestines on the outside – that's how Bohdanchyk was born. Immediately from the delivery room, the child was taken to the operating room, where surgeons meticulously repaired the hole in his diaphragm, having correctly positioned the intestines beforehand. Then the fight for life began. Intensive care, for three days Bohdanchyk did not breathe on his own; a ventilator did it for him. Medication feeding.

But, fortunately, with each passing day, our boy gained strength. And if at first he ate only 5 grams of formula per day, by the time he was transferred from intensive care to a ward, he was already drinking 30 grams!

In the end, our Bohdanchyk spent 33 days at the Institute of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology and went home completely healthy!

Bohdanchyk was helped with medications and medical supplies in intensive care and during the operation within the framework of #charity_chain, a joint project of "Tvoya opora" and Gusema Jewerly.

His family is very grateful for the help. And, if at first they didn't want to talk about their son's illness, now they asked to tell everyone who faces similar challenges: "don't give up"!

If you also want to help one of our wards, it's easy to do by sending an SMS with the word "ЖИВИ" (LIVE) to the number 88 000, or by clicking "Допомогти" (Help) right now! Or support us in the Monobank application through regular payments. It's very simple: click on the "Other payments" section, then on the "Create folder" button, select "Other payments" again, then give your folder a name, for example, "Charity," select the "Charity" section, where you choose the "Tvoya opora" charitable foundation from the list. After that, enter the amount of the regular payment and choose the date and frequency settings for the debit, for example, 100 UAH once a month on the 12th of each month. All collected funds will be spent on saving those who are in a difficult situation.