A low-income family with three children turned to the Skiniya Church in Severodonetsk for help. A small town in the frontline zone of the Luhansk region.
They say the eyes are the window to the soul. These children’s eyes told a story—of pain, fear, suffering, and unfulfilled dreams. The protagonists of this story faced a difficult fate. The family was relocated to the village of Orlivka in the Chernihiv region.
Yulia is the oldest child in the family; she was a bit withdrawn. Mykhailo is the middle child; he was a bit livelier. And little Masha, who seemed not to understand anything. But we guessed that these children had seen things that their peers had only seen on TV—or perhaps hadn’t seen at all!
The children and their guardians face a new challenge: it turns out that the older children have viral hepatitis C.
The guardians are at a loss... What to do? How to help? Where to get the funds for treatment? Where to start? Questions, questions… Reflection and prayer led them to Yuriy Voynalovich, the head of the “BSD” public organization.
Yulia and Mykhailo became the first participants in the “Healthy Future of Ukraine” Project, which the BCD team launched in December 2019 to treat adolescents aged 12–17 diagnosed with chronic HCV genotypes 1 and 4–6. The project is funded by American donors thanks to the efforts of Vladimir Borisov.
The effectiveness of the 12-week treatment course is 95–99%.
Thus, in December 2019, Yulia and Mykhailo began their journey toward freedom from the “silent killer.”
The BCD team organized a special day of entertainment for the children. They spent the entire day at an entertainment center, where they watched exciting new cartoons, played bowling, enjoyed various attractions, and most importantly, treated themselves to delicious pizza and desserts.
For Mykhailo and Yulia, it was the first experience of its kind in their lives.
There were also many heartfelt conversations. It turned out that Mykhailo dreamed of flying on an airplane, while the “grown-up” Yulia simply wanted to be healthy.
We believe that in time they will discover new dreams and goals. For now, we simply want to say that the children’s eyes began to shine again because they had found hope — as if life itself had returned to their small bodies.
The first test results after one month of taking the medication brought wonderful news — the virus was already gone from their blood.
Just a few more weeks, and Yulia’s dream of “being healthy” would finally come true.
We are confident that, thanks to caring people, Mykhailo and Yulia will find their place in our society and live happy lives.
If you or your children have been diagnosed with viral hepatitis C, do not waste time — contact the specialists at BCD. Together, we will develop a personalized diagnostic and treatment plan for you.
Our qualified infectious disease specialists and hepatologists will provide individual consultations to help your family successfully overcome hepatitis C.
