Polina Shchepaniak is grateful for the gift of life after she was flown to St. Francis Hospital in Roslyn to have a congenital heart defect fixed.
The war in Ukraine had prevented a nine-year-old girl from receiving a lifesaving heart treatment, but thanks to a U.S.-based non-profit organization, Polina Shchepaniak was flown into the U.S. and got the procedure done on Long Island."I am better," she said.A procedure on Polina to repair a congenital heart defect originally scheduled back home in war-torn Ukraine was postponed indefinitely. But thanks to the nonprofit Gift of Life, she was flown to the U.S.
The minimally invasive surgery that took place on Wednesday at St. Francis Hospital was extra special for Dr. Sean Levchuck, who is of Ukrainian descent. It’s the first once since the COVID-19 pandemic. "She had a hole between the two upper chambers of the heart," Levchuck said. "It’s a progressive type of lesion. So initially they’re tired, as they approach their teenage years growth becomes an issue and as an adult the arrhythmia and heart failure begin."Polina has a follow-up appointment here next week. She’s expected to get the green light to resume life like other 9-year-old. She’ll be in New York for the rest of the month before she goes home to Ukraine.
She also offers a special thanks to her host, Annie Caputo, a Ukrainian volunteer who planned trips to the Statue of Liberty, Legoland, and in true American tradition - a surprise visit from the ice cream truck.It’s also a great feeling for Polina and her mom, who both have healthy and full hearts. "She’s smiling, eating well, laughing, playing games," said her mom Kateryna. "It feels like a dream! I am happy, I’m very happy."
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