**KSENIIA REQUIRES BOTH REGULAR AND MEDICAL SPONSORSHIP***
Dear Sponsor,
My name is Kseniia and I am 8 years old. I live in the city. My mom is at home taking care of my baby sister Anna. My other sister, Dominika, is my friend. I like playing with her and watching cartoons. At Christmas, I like eating tangerines and getting presents. On holidays, I like riding my bicycle.
I am in second grade, and I go to school by bus. I really like PE, and my favorite subject is math.
I like eating buckwheat with milk. On holidays, my mom makes tasty food like salads.
When I grow up, I want to be a teacher because I love children.
Thank you very much for helping my family.
With love,
Kseniia
Caseworker Comments:
Meet Kseniia, a lively and imaginative 8‑year‑old girl whose sensitive, dreamy nature makes her deeply compassionate and attentive to the needs of everyone around her. She loves creating arts and crafts, shines in Art, PE, and Music at school, and at home she is a devoted little helper, feeding the family dog and carefully putting away her toys. Despite her cheerful spirit, Kseniia faces significant medical challenges that affect her daily life. She was born with a severe, subcompensated form of congenital hypothyroidism, a lifelong condition that slows her metabolism, affects her energy levels, and requires constant hormone therapy, vitamins, and ongoing rehabilitation to help her grow and learn at the pace of other children. She also lives with asthenic syndrome, which causes chronic fatigue, weakness, and difficulty coping with physical or emotional stress, making even simple tasks more exhausting for her than they are for other children her age. Yet, in spite of these obstacles, Kseniia continues to meet the world with kindness, determination, and a hopeful heart, qualities that make her resilience all the more moving.
Following doctors’ advice, her mother brought home a golden retriever dog to support the children’s rehabilitation, and this dog became nothing short of life‑changing. Through daily interaction, Kseniia slowly began to speak — her very first words were spoken to her beloved dog. Today, the dog remains her source of comfort, emotional stability, and a sense of safety, especially during moments when her health or emotions overwhelm her.
Kseniia is not the only child in the family with health challenges. Her younger sister, Anna, also has a disability and has undergone multiple surgeries, with ongoing treatment and rehabilitation that place a heavy financial strain on the family. Her older sisters, Khrystyna and Dominika, struggle with severe vision problems and require frequent ophthalmology visits and regular replacement of glasses. All four children need continuous care, proper nutrition, and medical support — needs that far exceed the family’s limited resources.
Their mother, Anastasiia, carries a painful and complicated life story. Raised in a dysfunctional family marked by addiction and instability, she became a mother as a teenager and was left entirely alone by her first child’s father. Later, she married and had two more daughters — Dominika and Kseniia — but her husband abandoned the family, provides no support, and plays no role in the children’s lives. Now Anastasiia lives with her new partner, Oleksandr, the father of the youngest child. He suffers from serious cardiac conditions, including stenosis of the left pulmonary artery, which severely limits his ability to work. Even so, he treats all the children with love and tries to help however he can.
The family lives in part of an old, neglected house inherited from elderly relatives. The renovation is extremely outdated, many areas require major repairs, and the exterior remains in poor condition. They have two small living rooms, a kitchen, a corridor, and a bathroom with an indoor toilet. Because gas heating is too expensive, they rely mostly on firewood, which is a heavy financial burden during winter. Much of their furniture and appliances were received through donations connected to Anastasiia’s volunteer work.
At times, Anastasiia’s grandmother also lives with them for her own safety. Due to addiction issues within the extended family, the grandmother is sometimes subjected to aggression from Anastasiia’s mother and sister during drinking episodes. The sister’s children are currently in a shelter, and the possibility of parental rights being terminated is under review. During these crises, Anastasiia takes her grandmother into her home, adding yet another layer of responsibility to an already overwhelmed household.
Despite everything, Anastasiia remains active as a volunteer with a local charitable foundation. Her openness and sincerity have helped the family build meaningful connections within the community, where they receive spiritual and emotional support. The children are warm, polite, and eager to communicate, and their mother continues to fight for their well‑being with remarkable strength.
For this family, support from the HART’s Child Sponsorship Program is not simply helpful, it is life‑changing. Sponsorship would ensure that Kseniia receives her essential medications, ongoing rehabilitation, and proper nutrition, while easing the crushing financial pressure on her mother. It would also give all four children a greater chance at stable development, improved health, and emotional security. Most importantly, it would remind this family — who have endured so much — that they are not alone, and that hope is still within reach.
