Karina

5-year-old Karina was diagnosed with a heart condition at a field hospital on the Ukrainian border and brought to Israel for life-saving heart care. Save a Child's Heart is dedicated to providing cardiac care to children around the world regardless of race, religion, or nationality.

Together, we can make sure Karina and children like her receive the life-saving pediatric heart care they need, give them a chance at a future, and bring hope to communities.

When Karina, a young girl from a village in a war zone in Ukraine, wasn’t growing as much as her twin sister and other kindergarteners, her mother became worried. While Karina's father was fighting in the war in Ukraine, her mother took her to an Israeli field hospital on the Ukrainian border where Karina was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect called ASD.

From Ukraine to Israel for Heart Care. The Save a Child's Heart medical team looked at Karina’s case and agreed to bring her to Israel through SACH to try to heal her heart and save her life. Karina’s mother knew this could be the only option to get Karina the life-saving care she urgently needed.

On the Road to a healthy Heart. In April, Karina and her mother traveled to Israel. In early May, Karina received a life-saving catheterization at the Save a Child’s Heart new Children’s Hospital in Holon. She was treated by Dr. Sagi Assa. Congenital heart defects like Karina’s ASD can be easily treated in the cath lab through a minimally invasive procedure. For Karina, a catheterization means she can go on to have a healthy heart. Her mother speaks Russian and was able to communicate with Nurse Mariana from PICU and some of the nurses and doctors who work at Wolfson Medical Center.