Quick Summary:
Help us fund a medical mission to Ukraine to perform urgent and life-changing pediatric scoliosis surgeries on kids who are out of options, alongside a team of talented Ukrainian physicians we are training on complex cases to sustain this work far into the future for a long-term impact for kids and their families. Donated funds will go to surgical supplies and travel/lodging costs of our team. (Details Below).
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Long Version:
Dear friends,
Once again, I'm headed to Lviv, Ukraine this November with my friend, pediatric spine surgeon Dr. Marc Dyrszka, to complete as many pediatric scoliosis correction surgeries as we can in a two-week period. Last year we managed 14 successful surgeries in 13 days! Because of the generosity of people like you, we changed the lives of 14 deserving children and their families, for the better.
Highlights from last year's surgeries include 12-year-old Viktoria K., who went from having dangerously limited breathing capacity (8%) and limited and painful movement, to being one of the top students in her class thanks to being able to breathe deeply and without chronic pain. Teenager Volodia P. went from using a wheelchair to getting back on his feet and walking independently. After several years of not being able to sit upright on their own, teens like Kateryna L., and Roman V. can now join their families at the dinner table - no small change for kids whose mobility often left them bed-ridden.
The 14 children we operated on were among over 600 who traveled from all over Ukraine to have consultations with our team and they were among the most urgent cases. However, several children who were in dire need of treatment were unable to receive it due to limited resources, limited time, and the need for even additional expertise that we did not have with us at the time.
This November, we will prioritize these urgent and complex cases -- kids who have been waiting years for this opportunity.
My experience last year was some of the most profoundly rewarding work I've undertaken. I am looking forward to returning with our team, this time with fellow neurophysiologist Brian Demboski. Brian and I will perform the intraoperative neuromonitoring during these complex surgeries as well as provide foundational education about intraoperative monitoring techniques.
A key part of our mission is to train the talented and dedicated team in Lviv well enough to eventually perform these surgeries on their own. After working with them last year, I'm confident we'll continue making meaningful progress towards that goal this year.
The ongoing war has left pediatric healthcare in a precarious state, where the riskiest cases are often delayed for lack of expertise in country. Unfortunately, these high-risk cases include pediatric spinal deformities that under normal peace-time circumstances would not be on hold. These cases cruelly progress in severity - with increasing chronic pain, loss of lung capacity and compounding disability.
It is only possible to do this in community, and it means so much to us to have your support.
May peace and health prevail!
Sincerely,
Meghan Mullaney
What your donation pays for:
Supplies
Aside from our time and respective areas of expertise, these surgeries cannot happen without specific surgical supplies.
According to American Hospital Prices(americanhospitalprices.com), the average total cost for a complex pediatric scoliosis correction surgery is $200k+, the supply portion of which is $36-46k.
Conservatively, the estimated supply cost for each surgery in Ukraine is ~$20-30k.
(Supplies include everything from medical implants and hardware to electrodes, syringes, sponges, and more.) Fortunately, some of these supplies are donated, but there is still a funding gap we need to bridge.
Travel expenses
Flights to Poland and rental cars to drive across the border into Ukraine, lodging while we are there, and then return trips across the border and flights home.
