Happy Child logo

The Fragile World of Daniella Rudenko

July 15, 2011, 8:00 4520 Author: Yana Sasina, translated by Daria Sukach www.deti.zp.ua Daniella has finally got her new eye! The fund-raising campaign is currently closed!

Daniella’s birthday is the 20th of March 2009

Diagnosis: retinoblastoma (retinal cancer in her right eye)

Daniella Rubenko’s up-to-date treatment news

Case record, page 1, page, 2

Invitation from the Charite Clinic (Berlin, Germany)

The bill from the Charite Clinic, page, 1 page,2

How to Help

Reports of Donations Received

Telephone Numbers of Parents and Volunteers

When I came to visit Daniella (or as her parents lovingly call her Dasha), she and her older brother had been enjoying their afternoon nap. I had nothing to do but to disturb their peaceful sleep to get acquainted with them. Who would like it? So, our little sunny girl decided to throw a tantrum.

However, when the girl was asked to show her dresses and toys, she cheered up right away. Some minutes later Dasha was already joyfully demonstrating her new dresses. Not all princesses are born in royal families and not all of them live in beautiful castles. Despite the fact that this little fashionable princess has never danced in a ball, she loves dressing up and dancing! She especially loves dancing to her favourite “Rio” cartoon music.

A mini playground right in the children’s room – what could be better for two little fire balls! They can slide down a hill and “fly” in their swings!

But most of all Dasha is keen on drawing. Her mother says that her daughter’s first masterpiece was “kaboko” (her way of calling “an apple”). That self-made word for an apple was automatically applied for her “art” as well. Dasha’s fluffy pet Khoma always comes along to see new pictures by the little artist.

Just imagine that this tiny girl will grow-up and will one day become a real artist. And she will perhaps become a singer since even now she is good at hitting the high notes. There’s only one “but”. This “but” is retinal cancer in her right eye. You might remember this sad story about a little girl. One day her parents suddenly noticed that one of their daughter’s eyes was shining strangely what was soon diagnosed as a retinoblastoma. Dasha is too little to understand all those medical terms, but she already knows what a chemotherapy course feels like. She has taken her first chemotherapy in the Filatov Institute of Eye Diseases. Unfortunately such diagnoses are identified rarely in Ukraine. So, the little patient has zero chances that Ukrainian doctors will be able to preserve her vision and even save her life.

Dasha and her father have recently returned from the German clinics from Essen. It was the first time in the girl’s whole life when she had to be away from her mom for two weeks since her mom had to stay at home with Dasha’s older brother. At first, the local doctors did not want to treat the girl due to their busy schedule. But thanks to the persistence of the girl’s parents who kept on writing appeals, the German physicians agreed to treat Dasha.

It’s cool to play with toys, but it’s a complete different kind of joy to have some fun outside. Besides, the world is full of summer colours! It’d be so nice to admire such colours every day…

The fairy tale of the little princess Daniella should have a happy end. What’s more you do not need to be a hero to save the life of this lovely girl. You don’t need to jump into fire, fight with a dragon or to look for a miraculous flower which could make any dreams come true. Everything is really easy: to make this vitally important surgery possible, Dasha’s parents should collect 20,000 Euros ($28, 509 US dollars) before the 26th of July. Today, the family has managed to get just a fourth part of this sum of money. The girl’s parents have nothing more to sell and no one they could borrow such a huge amount of money from. Anyone of us can become a magician for Dasha. The surgery countdown has begun ticking…

Daniella’s family lives in Zaporizhia.

The telephone number of Daniella’s father Vladislav:+38 (097) 68 73 610

For further information contact the volunteers of “The Happy Child” Foundation

You can help by using convenient ways of donation (PayPal, MoneyGram, Western Union, Webmoney, etc.)

From the period of May till September 2011:

Report of donations received: 111,407 hryvnyas (13, 821 US dollars) or 10,220 euros (according to the currency course of 10.90)

Report of donations used:3,930 euros (5,429 US dollars) and 21,670 hryvnyas (2, 688 US dollars) = 5,824 euros.

Left: 4,396 euros (6,073 US dollars).

Happy Child foundation - effective help to the most needy children of the Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine, since 2004

They need help:
Myron Borysov
Myron Borysov

Childrens autism

Help now
Davyd Tereshchenko
Davyd Tereshchenko

Bronchial asthma, allergic vasomotor rhinitis

Help now

You donated in 2024

$ 180 878

Our expenses in 2024
To 76 sick children $52 955
Medical equipment: $5 911
Humanitarian help: $33 858
To disabled children: $62 448
To children's village: $3 482
To orphans and poor children: $7 963
"Helpus" - help to adults: $20 766
Service expenses: $25 558
Total sum of expenses: $215 548

$6 950 476

donated since 2007