new photos and video: kharkiv ukraine chernobyl heart kids

We've just posted a gallery of photos of some of the 18 children whose lives were saved by a volunteer cardiac surgery team that visited Ukraine last month.  Visit the Kharkiv Cardiac Kids photo album to see the kids and learn more. You can also view this short video of 2 and a half year old patient Sofia. (If you are reading this on a feed or in email, you can click to the Chernobyl Children's Project International website to see the video, or visit the CCPI Channel on YouTube.)

Every year over 6000 children are born in Ukraine with genetic heart disease, a dramatic increase since the   Chernobyl nuclear accident of 1986.  Over half of these will not receive the surgery they need to survive.  Our  program works because we combine life saving surgeries with local training, so that Ukrainian surgeons in rural areas can build expertise to save the youngest and most complicated cases.  We plan three more surgical missions to Ukraine thorough the end of 2008, and we hope  -- with your support -- to continue the program in 2009.  Please help by donating now, or contact us if you would like to help us raise funds.