The hospital built at “Marie Curie” by the Dăruiește Viață association, with the support of over 350,000 donors and 8,000 companies, began to operate and took over the children hospitalized until now in the oncology, neurosurgery, surgery and ATI departments of the old hospital building .The transfer was made over several days, starting on Wednesday, April 10 and until this morning, in order to provide the children with all the conditions of safety and comfort.
The first child moved was Andreea, aged two and a half years, and the second was Darius, aged three and a half months. Andreea had been hospitalized a few days ago in the old neurosurgery ward of the “Marie Curie” Hospital – a ward the size of a two-room apartment. The little girl was accompanied by three nurses and had a vital signs monitor. Despite the excitement of the change, shortly after she arrived in her new salon, she was already playing with another patient, Eva, who was transferred after her.
Andreea, two and a half years old, the hospital's first patient. Photo source: Give Life
The playroom is on the floor with the Neurosurgery ward, where the two little girls are hospitalized. It is a floor with 13 salons, playground, treatment rooms, doctor's offices and report room. Andrea's mother told her husband on the phone that, after two days of being in bed, the little one got up, plays and climbs the slides as if the medical problem affecting her walking didn't even exist.
“In the old neurosurgery ward, they had 30 cm between the bed and the wall to stand up. Here, when I see them running through the halls, I find it incredible. It's as if we no longer work in a hospital, but in a kindergarten. It is very important for both children and parents not to be constrained by space”, said Mihaela Negrescu, head neurosurgery assistant.
Carmen Uscatu, one of the two founders of the hospital. Photo source: archive
“I have had many emotions during these years, in which I have built this hospital, but nothing can match the emotion I experienced when I saw these children rediscover their joy of living, despite the disease. Or the emotion we experienced seeing parents find new resources of trust and hope for their children, thanks to the new space and equipment that we, together with our donors and sponsors, have made available in this hospital built together”said Carmen Uscatu, president of Dăruiiste Viață.
The oncology ward has now moved to an entire floor, each room having its own bathroom, with a maximum of two patients per room. 10 children aged between 1 and 16 were transferred from the old ward.
Darius, 3 months. Photo source: “Give Life” association
George has been hospitalized in oncology since January, with lymphoblastic leukemia. Since then, he and his grandmother have spent almost all of their time in the hospital. “What we really liked is that we have a shower and a TV. The fact that the toilet is no longer shared is incredible”his grandmother told us, while George told us without blinking that his favorite was the playroom.
“Today was much easier than we imagined. We felt at home from the start. Like in a new house, you mess up the doors, you don't know where to put the new vase and if you took everything out of the fridge”, Dr. Ruxandra Vidlescu, head of the Oncology department, told us.
“Moving the patients to the hospital built by Dăruiește Viață with the support of donors and sponsors marks the end of a very complex stage of our project. It is a victory that gives meaning to every gesture, every struggle, every second of work and every lion donated by people. It is the victory of life, hope, solidarity and professionalism over disease and the system. From now on, children's chances of recovery will increase, and the emotional impact of the disease will be lower”said Oana Gheorghiu, vice-president of Give Life.
The lobby of the new hospital for children with cancer. Photo source: “Give life” association
The project continues with a second building
Dăruiiște Viață will continue the project with the second building to create a real medical campus, with the same conditions of treatment for all children, regardless of the condition, as well as research and training spaces, accommodation for parents, etc. Also, Dăruiiște Viață will ensure the maintenance of the new building and provide support for staff training and entertainment activities in the Hospital.
The departments that have moved to the new Hospital, in a modern infrastructure, benefiting from the latest generation equipment, are: oncology, hemato-oncology, neurosurgery, surgery, ATI, the operating theater and imaging. In addition, Dăruiește Viață, in partnership with the Emergency Clinical Hospital for Children “Marie S. Curie”, proposed to the Ministry of Health a pilot project for the operationalization of the radiotherapy department, the first department of this type in a state children's hospital.
Little patients in the playroom. Photo source: “Give life” association
In addition to the infrastructure created, Dăruiește Viață provides support to the “Marie Curie” Hospital to improve the way medical care is provided, establishing international partnerships for exchange of experience and training with Prinses Máxima Centrum, the Netherlands (the largest pediatric oncology clinic in Europe) and St. Jude Children's Hospital, USA (one of the largest pediatric oncology hospitals in the world).
All patients were moved to the new hospital. Photo source: “Give life” association
Millions of Romanians
#NoiFacemUnSpital meant an investment of 53 million euros, funds collected exclusively from donations from individuals and sponsorships. For the first time in the last 34 years, in Romania, Dăruiește Viață built a Children's Hospital to offer patients treatment conditions at Western standards. Initially conceived as a three-story clinic, the project turned into a Hospital with an area of 12,000 m2, 9 levels and +140 beds. In June 2018, the foundation of the Hospital was poured, and in November 2023, the first building, the thermal plant and an ozonation station were completed.
The project brings a series of firsts in the Romanian medical system: the first Department of Pediatric Radiotherapy in a public children's hospital, the first operating room built exclusively from glass to reduce the risk of nosocomial infections, individual ATI rooms, two-bed rooms, with beds for parents and private bathrooms, individual ATI lounges, spaces dedicated to children (playgrounds, cinema, radio studio, astronomical observatory, sports and recovery room) and spaces dedicated to parents and medical staff.
This is what the old Oncology ward looks like. Photo source: “Give life” association
National fundraising campaign. Where you can donate money
Give Life continues through a national fundraising campaign and invites all those who want to continue to get involved or who want to start supporting the Association's projects to sponsor or donate in the following ways:
DONORS INDIVIDUALS
• Redirection of 3.5% of income tax on: www.daruiesteviata.ro/redirectioneaza
• Online donation at https://daruiesteviata.ro/investeste
• SMS to 8864 with the text HOSPITAL for a monthly donation of 4 euros
• Birthday donation on www.daruiesteviata.ro/campanii
• Gifts with meaning on www.daruiesteviata.ro/cadouri
COMPANIES:
• using Statement 177 and completing a sponsorship contract with the amounts remaining unallocated in 2023 if the sponsorships made last year did not reach the maximum ceiling established by law
• redirection of 20% of the profit tax on www.daruiesteviata.ro/sponsorizaza
