Update from Ukraine

Our friend far away visited with the children today and sent the following message and pictures - the sign thanks World Children’s Hosting for raising the funds for important parts of Andrii’s medical care and testing.

Hello everyone, how are you?  I hope you and your families are in order?  I inform you that today I managed to visit Andrei, the other day he completed the fourth course of chemotherapy, he was very weak lately and felt weak, a few days ago Andrei began to eat a little better and go out for a walk, since now  Ukraine was quarantined to visit medical, child care facilities and nursing homes, I was forced to buy a protective suit from biochemical protection and only in a suit I was allowed to visit Andrey, for about one hour we walked slowly around the territory  Denia with Andrei and his sister Anastasia, we talked a lot about life, talked a lot about the future adoption process, I answered them all the questions, we also discussed the school, their grandmother, friends, they also remembered the Browns family and the USA, we also talked about  politics, about coronavirus, in a word Andrei talked a lot and Anastasia also got a little involved in our conversation!  We had a wonderful time together, they miss you very much, and they are waiting for you to come to adopt them, they just were very shy and it was not easy to talk to them.  I brought them presents - a lot of various healthy fruits, as well as some delicious sweets.  Now the main task for Andrey is to eat well and gain some weight, and it is also important that his blood tests improve, since from March 25 his attending oncologist plans to start radiation therapy, which is designed for 50 days.  Therefore, I ask you to continue to pray for Andrew!  Andrei and Anastasia really hope that this nightmare with coronavirus will end soon and you will be able to come to them as soon as possible.

Great generosity has covered the expenses of MRI's, nursing care, daily markers (testing), which are not covered by the state medical funds. There will probably be another fundraiser to cover Andrii’s care and tests for his upcoming radiation treatment. I'll update and share on Facebook when it's set up.

EDIT: Here's the fundraising set up by Sabrina of WCH on Facebook for his medical care

Click Here to go to the Fundraiser

Praying we can get there soon! 

Love ya! 

I may have cried

Last week was busy in our adoption journey. But WOW! How God moved the processes along!!!

Monday we parents had our medical exam for the dossier. We are healthy and free of certain diseases. Donations took care of this expense. The doctors office was a delight to work with even though we need those forms in triplicate. It’s not uncommon to have to have these papers re-done - and that’s what we’ll be doing this week. Big THANKS to Dr. Raber and his staff at Lighthouse Family Practice.
We also have to have another paper re-done. Thanks to our sweet realtor Theresa Jordan for her help.
We’re very thankful for sweet people who exhibit God’s long-suffering patience with this paperwork.

Near the end of the week we commented about waiting on several things/papers that are totally out of
our control, like immigration approval and FBI clearance. On Friday, Dan the agency man voiced concern that the way we submitted for our FBI clearance could take forever to get back (well, he said 14 weeks - but right now that’s forever). But it only took 2 weeks!!! When we checked the mail after lunch our FBI clearance was there!!!
I was able to get those in the mail him that afternoon.

Then Saturday, while relaxing with some of the children, what should come (that could have taken 75 days but came after only one month)? Our USCIS (immigration) approval!!!!
We have approval from the United States to  “adopt 2 child/ren from Ukrine."

And that's when I may have cried.
Ava was over, she caught it all on film (or whatever you call snatching up your phone and clicking).

We were so worried about how to get the USCIS to expidite. We fretted. We made calls. We worried other people. But all our effort was for nothing. God had better plans.

Somehow, all 9 of the "already here" children were home Saturday night. So we had pizza and celebrated and watched a movie.

 No now we continue to work with our agency to finish up our parts of dossier and keep fundraising and hoping for grants and look forward expectantly to how God will continue to work in this process.

Ukrainian Medical Fundraiser

Andrii LOVES soccer

Andrii had his second chemo treatment on Wednesday and is doing well and in pretty good spirits. Anastasia seems to be doing well but really missing her brother. 

We just got a link from friends in Ukraine (how great is it to say we have dear friends in Ukraine!) who have set up a Ukrainian fundraiser specifically to help with Andrii's current and accruing medical needs. This is a great option for just giving directly to meet the medical need right now. 

Anastasia is the beauty in the red coat

When you open the site it comes up in Russian - in the top right corner you can choose (uk) Ukrainian or (en) English but his page disappears so... Below is a better English translation with US dollar conversions. And below a few pictures with translations/instruction. 




Here's the link: http://ukrhelp.org/project/andrey-ustimenko?fbclid=IwAR3-SCYiHuLjLwQqisSmRjcK5FLrsgCT-ZHln-7O3nc0db2mqHwL7eualtY

This is what it looks like on a phone
pretty similar in web-view
It is secure, like a GoFundMe
but for the medical needs of children

This is translated from the funding page:

Andrii Ustimenko
Place of residence: Kiev
Diagnosis: germinogenic brain tumor hormone-producing.  Diabetes insipidus.  

Andrii is 15 years old.  He is a mature and independent guy.  He himself is in the hospital, he takes medications himself, he takes care of hygiene and makes snacks for himself.
Two months ago, the guy began to drink a lot, 10-15 liters (2.6-4 gallons) a day.  In parallel, he began to lose his sight.  It got to the point that even in a popular social network, he sees only pictures and can hardly read words.
The workers of the Children's Center, where Andrii is lives, began to carry him doctors, looking for the cause of such a sharp deterioration.  In the hospital, the boy underwent the necessary examinations and discovered a brain tumor.  So he ended up in the Kiev City Clinical Department of Pediatric Oncology

Now the first Chemotherapy has been completed.  She was "slaughter."  Her boy moved her well and there was hope that immediately after the droppers were turned off, Andrii would be able to go to the children's center for several days.  But the chemotherapy drugs holoxan, cisplatin, endoxan did not leave a chance: the tests "fell" immediately after the end of the block.  The trip home is canceled!

But no one is going to hang your nose! Andrii is full of optimism and courtesy!  He is determined only to win and fulfills all the recommendations of doctors!
At the moment, the plan is as follows: 3 chemotherapy blocks (as of this blog post 2 have been passed), MRI, radiation therapy.  In parallel, there will also be a consultation with Professor Zheludkova and neurosurgeons regarding the possibility of removing this tumor.

In general, still work and work, be treated and treated.  And, naturally, it becomes a matter of finance.
Fortunately, at the moment, the necessary chemotherapy drugs, antibiotics, antifungal drugs are in the department.  But there are also those expenses for medicines, accompaniment, examinations, etc., which are not covered by the state.  Usually, such expenses are borne by the parents.

Andrii was not lucky.  A few years ago, he, along with his sister (13), turned out to be a burden for mom and dad.  They were deprived of parental rights and the children were in the center of social rehabilitation (Children's Center) "Our Kids".  Of the relatives, the boy has only a grandmother, who for objective reasons cannot arrange custody of her grandchildren.  But she is very worried about her grandson.  Every day after work, she comes to visit Andrii, tries to bring him something tasty, to sit with him.  Despite suffering a stroke and feeling unwell, grandmother Natasha works as a postman.  To make her grandchildren happy and buy something, she saves on her own food.

She cannot bear the costs of treating the boy, however much she wants to.  Moreover, she cannot even be with him around the clock, firstly, she will lose her job (the only source of income), and secondly, because of poor eyesight, she cannot perform the actions that are needed.

Therefore, Andrii first need is a nurse during chemotherapy, who will be around the clock with the boy.  We managed to find two nurses working in the OKHMATDET (oncology center) for this who agreed to this kind of side job.  The cost of such services is 7000 UAH ($300 USD) per treatment (1000 UAH/$42 per day).  So far, Andrii is between the chemo treatments himself; the nurses of the department look after him alternately.  But, it is quite possible that next time we will still need people who can be with Andrii during his entire stay in the hospital.

Secondly, these are concomitant medications, consumables and examinations.  It seems to be nonsense.  But this is far from the case.  For example, yesterday we ordered the boy “for the little things” simple medicines for indigestion and calcium, and this “poured out” everything at 800 UAH/$34!  And what can we say about MRI, if you have to do it in a paid clinic?

As needs arise, we will write in more detail about them, but for now we understand that all these “little things” will need at least 71,000 UAH/$3000.

"There are no other children."  We hear this phrase very often.  In this case, Andrii is our common child and we simply must do everything possible so that the boy gets out.  In addition to good people, he simply has no one to help!!! (end translation)

The spot to give - you can change UHA to USD
It seems the easiest way to give from here is with a credit card.
I've translated in RED 

This is Olga, the page coordinator. 

If you enter an amount (I entered $25)
and change UHA to USD and clink the
Green DONATE button (see the second picture)
you get to this screen.
24 Pay seems to be the Euro version of PayPal,
you have to sign up for that.
The "Another method" doesn't give very good
options either. Seems the best way to give is by
credit card. 

We hope to find other ways to give directly to medical cost both in Ukraine and when we come home that are a little easier for us far-flung, Russian-impaired folks. So keep watching! 

Love ya!