The year 2024 brought with it many challenges. At times, they were overwhelming, other times they were victories, and sometimes they were moments of sadness that brought tears to our eyes. Yet, we continue to confidently move forward, never settling for less, always striving for the best for the children in our care. We believe in the recovery of every child and are prepared to stand shoulder to shoulder with parents, doctors, and nurses to fight for each child’s life.
Each child is unique, and every story is special. Our team is grateful that we were able to meet all the requests received throughout the year. This means that every child battling cancer who needed medicine, tests, research, or supplies received what was necessary! This success is not ours alone—it’s a shared victory with every donor, supporter, company, and individual who contributed financially, with their time, advice, services, or physical help. United, we are strong and unbeatable!
What did we accomplish during the year?
Our strategy for 2024 expanded significantly. Over the course of the year, we not only supported oncology departments but also related departments that work in tandem with them. Children with cancer often interact with more than just the oncology unit—they also visit labs, surgical departments, intensive care, rehabilitation, and trauma departments, among others. By strengthening these departments, we ensure better outcomes for the patients, giving doctors and nurses the tools they need to provide high-quality care.
Our assistance continues for:
- The Hematology Department of the Chernihiv Regional Children’s Hospital
- The Oncology Department of Saint Nicholas Hospital in Lviv
In 2024, we extended our reach to include the Clinical Center of Pediatric Medicine in Lviv, specifically:
- The Pediatric Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplant Clinic
- The Specialized Surgery Clinic
- Ohmatdyt Hospital in Lviv
Several projects and collaborations with donors were implemented, and we will share more details step by step.
UKSH Universitätsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein and Rotary Club Kiel
After several months of negotiations, correspondence, and waiting, exchanging lists of the required equipment for the Hematology Department of Chernihiv Regional Children’s Hospital and the Oncology Department of Saint Nicholas Hospital in Lviv, both hospitals received vital aid amounting to €60,000. This aid included:
- A medical refrigerator
- Infusion pumps
- A blood warmer
- A microscope
- Surgical lighting
- Infusion stands
- Medical furniture
- Medical couches
We extend our heartfelt thanks to UKSH Universitätsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein, Rotary Club Kiel, Professor Dr. Dieter Kabelitz, and Hryhoriy Lapshyn for their big hearts to support and care for Ukrainian hospitals and the people in need. We also thank the National Self-Defense of Lviv Region for organizing the logistics.
EPAM Company
Our incredible partners and constant supporters in the fight against childhood cancer. Throughout the year, they organized several fundraisers, allowing us to cover the treatment costs for children and enhance their comfort and well-being in the oncology departments.
First, they helped fulfill the need for bedding and pillows for the children, ensuring their comfort during long hours in bed with IV drips. They purchased:
- 50 bedding sets
- 30 pillows
- 200 sheets
This contribution added comfort and coziness to the children in the oncology departments at Saint Nicholas Hospital in Lviv and Chernihiv Regional Children’s Hospital. The bedding sets, adorned with cats and dragons, were so charming that the children adored them.
Using the funds raised by EPAM employees, we also set up cozy corners for children and parents visiting the day hospitals in the oncology departments. These areas now have comfortable couches where families can wait for the doctor, and spaces where children can draw or play.
At the start of the year, EPAM’s Poland office collected a large number of teddy bears and toys for the children, which we distributed over two months, offering joy and emotional support.It worked wonderfully. The children smiled, they gained a new favorite friend, with whom they cuddled during sleep. During treatment, a smile and a good mood are very important.
On December 6th, for Saint Nicholas Day, the employees of EPAM collected funds and purchased amazing, beautiful hippos. Inside each hippo was a blanket. The children absolutely loved these gifts because they were not only cute and beautiful, but also very comfortable and practical. When a child covers themselves with the blanket, they can lie on the hippo like a pillow. This brought an abundance of positive emotions to the children. The gift was appreciated by both the little ones and the teenagers. In total, 130 children received these gifts.
Charity Fund “Fairy Godmothers of Good”
We are immensely grateful to the ladies of the Charity Fund “Fairy Godmothers of Good” for their ongoing help and support throughout the year. They provided around 20 large boxes of hand-knitted toys, which filled our “Courage Boxes.” These toys became rewards for children after they bravely underwent various difficult and unpleasant procedures.
This became like a small ritual for them. It became easier for the nurses and doctors to convince the children to undergo a procedure, as they were offered to choose a toy afterward, picking the one they liked the most. These toys resonated so deeply with the children that they began collecting them. We are incredibly grateful to the wonderful “fairies” for their tremendous work. We can see the gleaming eyes of the children when they receive their toys. These toys truly help the children undergoing cancer treatment, and we sincerely thank them for each and every toy! You “fairies” are amazing, you have magic hands and a heart of gold!
LandsAid e.V.
Life Support Monitors and Central Station for the Oncology Department of Saint Nicholas Hospital in Lviv
After the opening of the oncology department at Saint Nicholas Hospital in Lviv in August 2022, it gradually began to fill up with children, and very soon there were no free beds in the wards. Initially, each room had one child with their mother, but over time, as the number of young patients increased, two children were placed in each room. The workload on the medical staff grew, and when there were many critically ill children, the nurses simply couldn’t keep track of everyone at once. Both, the medical staff and our team, understood that this posed risks to the patients, and it became necessary for each room to have at least one life support monitor, and for the nurses’ station to have a central station displaying the vital signs of all the patients, allowing them to monitor each patient simultaneously. This increased the response time and the efficiency of the nurses’ work.
Parents are constantly with their children and are also involved in the treatment process, so they sleep very little. The risk that a child might experience a crisis situation, and the mother may not hear it, becomes higher.
Thanks to our collaboration with LandsAid e.V., we were able to purchase monitors for each room and the procedure room, as well as a central station for the nurses’ station. Additionally, the manufacturing company provided training for the staff, and now we have monitors with sensors for children, allowing the central station to remotely monitor the children’s condition. We have already had a situation where a critically ill child’s breathing stopped, and the medical staff were able to respond quickly and efficiently.
The total amount was 1,915,214 UAH.
Portable Ultrasound Machine for the Oncology Department of Saint Nicholas Hospital in Lviv
The oncology department is unique in that it treats children who frequently face a wide range of health issues during their treatment. Intensive chemotherapy causes complications in all organ systems. To enable doctors to perform quick diagnoses and determine the best course of action, the need for a portable ultrasound machine arose.
Thanks to our incredible donors: Kastenhofer Hans, EPAM, Young Business Club, Stebelskij Volodymyr, and the Ukrainian Women’s Association of America, both the ultrasound machine and its corresponding tablet were purchased.
The total amount was 362,748 UAH.
Day Care Unit in the Hematology Department of Chernihiv Regional Children’s Hospital
Months of work…
Negotiations with donors…
Finding what suits the doctors, nurses, children, and parents…
Negotiations with suppliers…
Payments…
Deliveries…
Loading and unloading…
Gathering everything and bringing it into working condition…
Installing, setting up…
Preparing documents for each purchase…
And finally…
The Day Care Unit in the Hematology Department of Chernihiv Regional Children’s Hospital has opened its doors to young patients.
This means a lot to us.
This daycare unit will help separate patient flows in the department, distinguishing between those already admitted for inpatient care and those coming in for infusions, treatment adjustments, tests, and consultations. This is particularly important in a department treating children with cancer.
We are deeply grateful to Lions Club Montigny and Ukainische Gemeinde Giessen e.V. for their generosity, which enabled us to furnish the daycare unit, acquire washable window blinds (since it faces the sun and gets quite hot), purchase an air conditioner, treatment couches, privacy screens, and chairs for parents.
We also thank UKSH Universitätsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein for responding to our request for assistance and providing a medical refrigerator, infusion pumps, and infusion stands for the daycare unit.
We are thankful to Olena Hryhorivna and the company “Zhitlobudservis” for the large television where children can watch cartoons, as well as for the medical hand washing sink, allowing staff to prepare for procedures.
Our sincere thanks go to the charity foundation “DAKH” and the wonderful team that laid the tiles in the daycare unit.
We also thank Irina Ternopilska for the superhero drawings on the walls, which inspire, support, and uplift the spirits of our young patients.
These are not just chairs, infusion pumps, televisions, and so much more; they represent the help of caring individuals who want the best for the children’s treatment. This is truly a reflection of love for them.
Total amount: 776,497 UAH.
Ukrainian Women’s Association of America (UWAA)
Friends are always important. Friends who are partners—are priceless.
This year, we are celebrating one year of friendship with UWAA. Over this time, we have accomplished a lot, both for patients in the departments and for hospitals. Most importantly, we have been able to show the children here how much people living far across the Atlantic care about them. Care and love know no borders, boundaries, or national identity.
The team at UWAA is truly inspiring. They’ve organized numerous events and held many hours of negotiations to support fundraising efforts. We are thankful and happy to announce that in 2024, UWAA provided us with 732,380 UAH in support for the treatment of children with cancer. This allowed us to purchase medication, consumables, pay for transportation and tests, and buy medical equipment. We will continue to do this in 2025.
It is an honor for us to work alongside the Ukrainian Women’s Association of America and bring good to the world together. There are still many challenges ahead, and what matters most to us is who stands by our side, not who stands against us.
In total, the Ukrainian Women’s Association of America contributed 732,380 UAH in 2024.
Box of Courage
One of the symbols of our department is the “Box of Courage.” When a child is about to undergo a procedure, they know that after it, they will receive a toy from a big box filled with gifts to reward their bravery. This is why children don’t cry when going for procedures and return to their rooms happy, hands full of gifts.
The box has also become a valuable tool in helping doctors and nurses communicate with children, reducing their stress during procedures.
Our partners in filling the box include the company “Yuki,” “Sperotek,” and the girls from the Charity Fund “Charivnytsi Dobro,” who knit soft, safe toys for the children.
Transfers
One of our services is patient transfers to and from the hospital, as many mothers travel to Lviv with a lot of luggage, and after chemotherapy, children may struggle to move. We purchase bus or train tickets for the parents and children, but they still need to get to the station.
Personal items, oxygen concentrators, medication—this is not an exhaustive list of what mothers need to carry to the train or bus. That’s why we also help carry children when they cannot walk to the train station on their own. Additionally, we assist with transporting test samples to laboratories, and we find, purchase, and deliver medications to the hospitals for the children.
Chernihiv IT Cluster
The Chernihiv IT Cluster is a platform for accessible training for future programmers, uniting many companies. They support us by organizing charity events to raise funds for medications, test payments, and consumables for children.
On June 1st, Children’s Day, the Chernihiv IT Cluster raised 100,000 UAH for the treatment of children with cancer. We are sincerely grateful for this contribution!
Lemberg (Lviv)
In the fall of 2024, the Lemberg shooting club held an open tournament and invited us to participate. Our mission was simple: a charity fundraiser to support children’s cancer treatment in oncology departments.
During the tournament, the club raised 80,444 UAH for the children’s treatment. But that’s not all…
Sasha Andriievskyi (from Mariupol), painted a picture for the auction, which we sold for an additional 30,000 UAH! Thus, Sasha helped fund treatment for other children with cancer.
Total raised: 110,444 UAH.
Birthdays, Holidays, Workshops, Supportive Events, and Children’s Discharge
Now, let’s talk about our beloved project with LandsAid e.V…
For the Evum team, the highest value is the child.
We understand the needs of our patients and maintain feedback with them to improve medical services in the departments. But the project of giving gifts to children upon discharge, for birthdays, and during supportive events for children with cancer and their parents, aims to support them through this incredibly difficult period of their lives. It helps them cope with everything they are facing and brings some joy and variety into their lives. When a child smiles and feels good, it is easier for doctors to perform procedures, to make arrangements with them to eat when tests are very low, and much, much more.
It’s not just about gifts, fun, and support. Sometimes it’s also about providing mothers the encouragement they need to take the first steps on this challenging journey. Children and their parents look forward to our visits, where we talk, draw, and play. It’s a breath of fresh air for them, especially since they can’t live an ordinary life in the hospital—no playtime with peers, no dancing, soccer, or swimming. In the hospital, we become their life, their environment for communication, and the people they eagerly wait for. We’ve heard many mothers say, “When will you come? Yana (Tanya, Dima, Sasha…) is waiting for you so much.”
Now, all children in Ukraine are children of war. Whether directly or indirectly, they have become participants in this war, unwillingly. Our mission is to restore the stolen childhood and provide a sense of care and safety to families receiving treatment in oncology departments, whom we care for.
In the past year, we’ve collected countless stories from parents and children and received many requests for birthday parties and discharge celebrations. Together, we’ve been able to create many smiles and happy moments, which are now captured in photographs on our “Victory Tree,” dedicated to all the children who have successfully recovered in the department. Many of them have returned to their normal lives, but the fight for survival continues. More children arrive each day, and the challenges are growing.
Victory Tree
There are things in our work that naturally evolve and fit perfectly into what we do. This is how the Victory Tree came about in the oncology department. Its idea became a logical extension of the thought that the fear of parents and children should disappear as soon as they see it. The tree is meant to instill confidence in both children and their parents, especially those who are just arriving in the department, and to give them hope.
When a child is discharged after treatment, we take their photo and then paint their palm with colorful paint, so they can leave their palm-print on the department’s wall alongside their photo. Each time new parents arrive in the department, they see the success stories of children who have recovered.
Children like Yana Pasiichnyk and many others have gone through difficult trials. Near the Victory Tree, children are given one gift, but they leave with two gifts. The second and the most precious gift is life.
This project is made possible with the support of LandsAid e.V. We are so happy they have embraced our emotions, the feelings of the children, the need of the children for a childhood during treatment, and the support needed by the parents. This all happened thanks to them—they are incredible, and we are deeply thankful for every smile and happy day that the children and the mothers have had during treatment!
In 2024, we conducted:
- Over 60 workshops, supportive events, and celebrations in oncology departments we care for.
- 94 Birthdays
- 27 Discharges and treatment completions.
Patients of Ukraine
On October 5th, we became an associated member of the patient community, which includes around 40 patient organizations in Ukraine – “Patients of Ukraine.”
We thank our partners and donors for their trust, and we’re grateful to the Patients of Ukraine team for the invitation.
Who are “Patients of Ukraine?”
The charity fund “Patients of Ukraine” represents the interests of over 4.5 million patients with serious and chronic diseases, working to improve access to high-quality treatment guaranteed by the state.
Patients of Ukraine are a voice that can break through any wall. They tackle any problem and solve it. For our organization, this is an opportunity to improve our service for patients. The future brings new challenges, and we are ready to face them together with our friends and partners.
What does this give us? The ability to respond quickly to challenges we encounter in Ukraine that could affect our patients. The ability to exchange experience with other organizations. And, of course, development and training for our organization members.
Ukrainian Paper Recycling Company
We are sincerely grateful to the Ukrainian Paper Recycling Company for helping us every month throughout the year. In 2024, they donated 57,000 UAH for the treatment of our children. This is yet another wonderful example of how small sums add up to something very meaningful and important!
In total, in 2024 we received 5,656,293.38 UAH. 3,231,208.17 UAH were transferred to hospitals: St. Nicholas Hospital in Lviv, Chernihiv Regional Children’s Hospital, Lviv Regional Children’s Specialized Clinical Hospital for support, medicine, and consumables. 389,487.30 UAH were transferred to parents to pay for medicine, consumables and laboratory tests
We are sincerely grateful to everyone who was with us in 2024 and we are moving forward…