Surgery is necessary for the heart to function normally.

Many congenital heart pathologies in infants are difficult to trace during the mother's pregnancy. Some manifest in the first days of life, while others remain undetected for years. This was the case with Polina. She grew up in a large family with two sisters, whom her mother constantly looked after.

During childbirth, there were no suspicions of complications. The mother gave birth to a seemingly healthy girl. Doctors examined the baby, and there was no talk of any pathologies. Her weight was 3100 grams, and her height was 51 cm. The girl was calm and smiling, so the parents went home to care for the new family member and introduce her to her sisters.

When Polina was two years old and brought for a routine check-up, a chill ran down her mother's spine. There was a problem with her heart, as suspected in their local Makariv hospital. After that, the family went to the Amosov Heart Institute, where the diagnosis was confirmed – an atrial septal defect. This is not a unique defect, but surgery was necessary for the heart to work in a normal rhythm and not pose a risk to the girl's life.

In total, she spent 5.5 hours on the operating table, a day in intensive care, and 7 days in a regular ward. In about a week, the defect was corrected by the skillful hands of cardiac surgeons. Fortunately, everything worked out. Currently, the family is awaiting the doctors' final prognoses and will have to return to Kyiv in six months for a follow-up examination. Nothing was said about further surgeries; they just need to come back to the Amosov Institute for a check-up in six months.

Thanks to the "Charity Weekend. Healthy Day with Masha Yefrosinina" project, Polina received help with medications and medical supplies during the surgery and rehabilitation in the intensive care unit. May this little one be healthy and recover quickly! And we will keep our fingers crossed.