This week, Leonid Shapoval, a five-year-old boy from Ukraine with leukemia was scheduled to undergo a bone marrow transplant.
But after the Russian invasion, he fled with his family to Ireland where he hopes to be treated, helped by the generosity of the local population.
While he should recover in a hospital in Kiev, the boy is in the garden of his great-aunt's house in the southwest of Ireland, where his parents recount their flight from the country at war, with their son's illness in the background.
Leonid's mother, Yana, 31, her husband, Serhiy, 30, and the little boy left Cherkasy, in central Ukraine, with a single suitcase to carry their belongings including Leonid's medical documents, " the most important things we had,” Yana said.
They took the road to Poland, taking dirt roads to avoid combat zones, and their car was occasionally rocked by explosions sounding nearby, before they finally reached the border.
“Survivor Syndrome”
Due to the little boy's state of health, they were escorted to cross the border urgently, thus avoiding some 20 kilometers of traffic jams.
Five days later, they arrived in Dublin via Zurich (Switzerland), where they had to convince the authorities that the Irish government had allowed them to enter without the usual visa requirements.
Their arrival at Dublin airport, where their family greeted them with the Ukrainian flag, was a moment of "relief tinged with bitterness", Yana described.
"I felt that here we would be safe and we would be helped, that everything would be done to take care of him", says Leonid's mother.
And at the same time, this trained psychologist confides that she suffers from the "survivor's syndrome", feeling guilty for having escaped this deadly conflict.
The hospital where Leonid has lived for much of the past eight months, following his leukemia diagnosis, has been damaged since the Russian invasion, Yana said.
Many children remain there despite the danger.
“These children are going through particularly difficult times at the moment (…) it's really scary to see what is happening”, Yana is alarmed.
65,000 euros raised
During their escape, the family was in contact with Irish MP for West Cork, Michael Collins, who had been alerted to their fate by Leonid's great-aunt, Victoria Walden, and her husband David, with whom the Shapovals now live.
“We have remained in communication with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” explained Michael Collins.
“There were a lot of concerns.
The MP is now helping the family in their efforts to treat Leonid in Ireland, supported by locals who have been moved by the boy's plight.
“Everyone wants to do something and it's very nice and, honestly, quintessentially Irish,” comments the MP.
A fundraiser on the Internet collected more than 65,000 euros, greatly exceeding the initial objective of 1,000 euros.
The day after arriving in Ireland, Leonid was examined by medics at a local medical center and then transferred to hospital in Cork City, an hour and a half away.
He is due for consultation at Dublin Children's Hospital where the family hopes he can receive a bone marrow transplant.
“Thank you to everyone who helps us, we are very happy,” said her mother, “surprised to see how nice everyone is, how much everyone wants to help”.
Leonid is also grateful: “Thank you to the people who help us”.
Leonid and his family are among some 1,800 refugees from Ukraine who have arrived in Ireland since the start of the Russian invasion.
Ireland, which has five million inhabitants, plans to welcome some 100,000 people who have fled Ukraine.
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War in Ukraine
Ireland
Child
World
Disease
Leukemia
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