With the support of our community, Mending Roots helped a mother and her son navigate one of the most frightening moments of their lives – and come out the other side with hope.

This is Georgyi Kuznietsov. He is a bright, kind 13-year-old living in Chernivtsi, Ukraine. In the fall of 2024, he began suffering from what appeared to be epileptic seizures. After extensive medical testing, doctors discovered a malformation in the right side of his brain that was causing an epilepsy-like syndrome. Emergency surgery followed by extensive rehabilitation was the only path forward.

To proceed, his family needed to pay 170,000 hryvnia – over $4,000 – an insurmountable sum even before the war, let alone now. With your help, Mending Roots was able to provide part of the funds needed for this life-saving procedure.

Georgyi has successfully undergone surgery and is now in recovery. His latest checkups show positive progress – and most importantly, no further epileptic activity. While he still needs time to rest and regain his strength, his path forward is full of hope.

His mother shared this message with everyone who made it possible:

"Thank you to all the people who helped my son with his surgery. Georgyi still needs a lot of rest but he is recovering, thank God! May goodness return to you a hundredfold."

Moments like these remind us why we do this work. Together, we can bring hope, healing, and strength to families who need it most.