Vanya used to love going to kindergarten. By the age of five, he could already read and had a special interest in books about human anatomy. He could explain what leukocytes are and what makes up a cell. He wanted to become a doctor. But in August 2013, his life took a drastic turn.
His parents began noticing that Vanya was stumbling often, his walk became unsteady, and he seemed weak - constantly asking to lie down. This alarmed his mother. She took him to a neurologist. After thr results of MRI Vanya was diagnosed with a brain tumor.

A surgery to remove the tumor was performed in Solnechnogorsk where the boy lived, but afterward, the family moved to Solnechnogorsk (Russia, Moscow region) to continue his treatment. Vanya underwent radiation therapy in Moscow, which was successful but passed with severe complications: the areas of his brain responsible for coordination and swallowing were damaged. Vanya could no longer eat or sit up on his own.

Many years have passed since then. Vanya has undergone numerous rehabilitation programs. The most effective ones have been at the Guttmann Clinic in Spain. Thanks to these treatments, Vanya has partially recovered; he has gone from being bedridden to standing again and even walking with support.

To continue his progress, Vanya now urgently needs another course of rehabilitation at the Guttmann Clinic.
TrafficStars has made a Christmas miracle happen for Ivan by closing his fundraising. Thanks to our joint efforts and your kind hearts, Vanya will soon be able to travel to Barcelona. 

On May 29, Vanya has completed a three-month rehabilitation course at the Guttmann Clinic in Spain. During this time, his muscle strength improved significantly, and he developed new motor skills that had previously been very difficult for him. He has become more confident in his movements, explores the world around him more actively, and enjoys using his new skills in daily life.

Vanya also made great progress in improving his attention and thinking — he now solves logical tasks much faster.

“Thank you so much for the support with the treatment, we truly enjoyed our time there and Vanya was happy to attend the sessions — the staff treated us so warmly. We really hope we can return again,” shared Vanya’s mother, Natalia.

Thank you to everyone who helped make this important rehabilitation possible! 🙏

A special thanks goes to @trafficstars, who made a true Christmas miracle happen by fully covering the cost of the course.

We are sincerely happy about Vanya’s progress and wish him continued success!