Chernobyl Children International (CCI) has issued an urgent Christmas appeal to raise critical funds for lifesaving heart surgeries, following the extraordinary survival story of baby Nestor — a child whose life was saved only because CCI’s team reached him in time.
This time last year, Nestor’s parents were preparing for the unthinkable: they believed their newborn son would spend his first Christmas in a cold Ukrainian graveyard. Instead, they will spend this Christmas cradling a thriving little boy…a moment they call their “Christmas miracle.”
Before he was even born, Nestor was diagnosed with a fatal congenital heart defect, one of the lingering intergenerational impacts of the Chornobyl disaster. Without help, he would have lived only days.
But CCI’s international cardiac surgeons arrived just in time. They stopped his heart, placed him on bypass, and rebuilt its tiny chambers…giving Nestor not only life, but a future.
A Christmas Saved — But Thousands Still at Risk
CCI warns that without urgent public support, miracles like Nestor’s will not be possible in 2026.
“This Christmas, too many families are grieving babies who could have been saved,” said CCI Founder and Voluntary CEO, Adi Roche. “A newborn’s first Christmas should never be their last. But without funding, more children with ‘Chornobyl Heart’ will die before next Christmas.”
She continued:
“We can save them — but only with your help. The people of Ireland have the power to turn heartbreak into hope.”
A Critical Need: Lifesaving Missions Planned for 2026
The war in Ukraine has caused a devastating surge in medical need:
- A 55% increase in children presenting for urgent cardiac procedures
- A collapsing healthcare workforce
- Hospitals damaged or destroyed by targeted attacks
Despite these challenges, survival rates at St Nicholas’ Hospital have improved by 39%, thanks to CCI’s training, equipment, and on-the-ground expertise.
To meet the rising tide of critically ill newborns, CCI urgently needs public support to fund four major cardiac surgery missions to Ukraine in 2026.
These missions will:
- Directly save the lives of newborns and children with severe heart defects
- Train and upskill Ukrainian cardiac teams, creating long-term sustainability
- Deliver vital medical equipment to war-damaged hospitals
Every donation this Christmas directly determines how many missions can go ahead — and how many babies will live long enough to see another Christmas.
Four Decades of Impact …And the Need Has Never Been Greater
For nearly 40 years, CCI’s pioneering cardiac programme has saved the lives of over 4,200 children in Belarus and Ukraine. Despite the invasion of the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone and the recent drone attack on the Nuclear Power Plant, CCI continues to expand its programmes for the most vulnerable.
As the only NGO working with Chornobyl survivors recognised by the United Nations, and the lead organiser of the global 40th anniversary Chornobyl commemorations in 2026, CCI’s commitment has never wavered.
But the charity warns: commitment alone cannot save a child’s life. Funding can.
Call to Action
This Christmas, CCI is asking the people of Ireland to help them deliver more lifesaving missions in 2026 and give babies like Nestor the future they deserve.
To support CCI’s Christmas Miracle Appeal, please visit: www.chernobyl-international.com/donate
Your donation today will save a child’s tomorrow.
