Ukrainian doctors defied Russian bombs to save a 12-year-old girl’s life with a heart transplant.

Story Highlights

• Ukrainian medical team performed life-saving heart transplant on 12-year-old girl during active Russian missile attack
• Four-year-old donor’s organs saved three children in historic overnight operation at Okhmatdyt Hospital
• All three recipients survived the complex surgeries performed under enemy fire, demonstrating extraordinary medical heroism
• Ukraine’s growing transplant program proves resilience against Russian aggression while saving innocent lives

Historic Surgery Under Fire

On July 10, 2025, Ukrainian surgeons accomplished what seemed impossible—performing multiple organ transplants while Russian missiles rained down on Kyiv. Dr. Borys Todurov personally drove a four-year-old girl’s donated heart through the bombed streets to save a 12-year-old recipient at the Heart Institute of Ukraine. The coordinated operation involved teams at Okhmatdyt Hospital working through air raid sirens, extracting organs from the young donor and transplanting her liver and kidneys into two other children on-site.

Whatever happened to …. the 12-year-old Ukrainian girl in need of a heart transplant? – During a Russian attack, a medical team drove to extract the heart of a young girl who'd just died and bring it to their hospital, where a 12-year-old was in desper… https://t.co/ZfYhjrLTIn

— 🌊🌊💙💙 Viking Resistance 💙💙🌊🌊 (@VikingFBR) September 14, 2025

Medical Excellence Against All Odds

The successful transplants marked the first time in Okhmatdyt Hospital’s history that brain death diagnosis, organ procurement, and transplantation occurred simultaneously on-site during active combat. Dr. Oleg Hodyk led the surgical team through procedures that typically require sterile, controlled environments while bombs exploded nearby. This medical achievement demonstrates the kind of determination and skill that emerges when people fight for their freedom against authoritarian aggression.

Whatever happened to …. the 12-year-old Ukrainian girl in need of a heart transplant? – NPR https://t.co/NXJaQHYce1

— Michael F Ozaki MD (@brontyman) September 14, 2025

American Values in Ukrainian Hearts

Ukraine’s transplant program, launched in 2019, exemplifies the self-reliance conservatives champion. Before the Russian invasion closed airspace in 2022, Ukrainians had to travel abroad for transplants. The war forced rapid development of domestic capabilities, with Ukrainian doctors visiting Vanderbilt University Medical Center to learn protocols. This represents exactly the kind of international cooperation that strengthens freedom-loving nations while building independent medical infrastructure.

Resilient Recovery and Future Hope

As of July 12, 2025, all three recipients remained in intensive care with successful outcomes. The 12-year-old heart recipient’s survival represents more than medical success—it symbolizes victory over Putin’s attempt to terrorize civilians. Ukraine’s expanding transplant program has now performed over 80 heart transplants and more than 100 kidney and liver procedures since the invasion began, proving that determination and proper values create miracles even under the worst circumstances.

This extraordinary story reminds us that when medical professionals operate with courage and skill, they embody the best of human achievement. These Ukrainian doctors didn’t just save three children—they demonstrated that evil cannot extinguish the light of those committed to preserving innocent life.

Sources:

As Missiles Rained on Kyiv, Ukrainian Doctors Saved Three Children with Organs from a 4-Year-Old Girl
Organ Heart Transplants During War Ukraine
Ukrainian Doctors Again Visit VUMC to Observe Organ Transplants and Protocols