The boy lives with his mother in Cherkasy. Two years ago, he was diagnosed with a terrible illness – leukemia. The treatment required a large sum of money, which the family didn’t have. Before the New Year holidays, the boy started sewing snowman toys to sell.
The boy’s mother is Alena Semilet. She didn’t know what to do when she learned from the doctors that her son was seriously ill. The treatment required a huge amount of money – $35,000. This happened before the New Year holidays, and his mother brought rice, socks, and felt into the room. Together with his mother and grandmother, the boy Andrei started making the first snowman toys. Almost immediately, the family decided to start selling such toys.
Posts about this family’s situation appeared in some media outlets, and charitable foundations also began to collect funds, but there still wasn’t enough money. Alena was planning to sell her apartment.
“I bought tickets to Ukraine and went to sell the apartment, and at that moment, money started pouring into my account – payments were made from different countries,” she says.
Israeli Svetlana Katsuba posted an article about Andrei on Facebook, in which she mentioned that he was sewing toys to pay for his treatment. The story quickly spread on the internet, and people from around the world began transferring money and ordering snowman toys. In less than a week, the entire amount was raised.
Andrei’s mother didn’t know how to thank the caring individuals. “Thanks to you, we were able to go through and complete the treatment. Recently, we went to Gomel for an examination, where we will be under control for the next five years.”
Now, Andrei is already back home but not yet attending kindergarten. He’s preparing for school. His mother hopes that soon he can regain a fulfilling life. And the first snowman that the boy made, his mother keeps as a cherished memento.
