Story of Kyiv teenager who lost his mother and sustained respiratory and eye burns in Russian missile strike on his home

During one of Russia's large-scale attacks, 15-year-old Ivan from Kyiv lost his mother who was trapped under the rubble of their home.

The boy managed to survive, but smoke inhalation caused burns to his respiratory system and eyes.

Source: Ukrainian National Specialised Children's Hospital Okhmatdyt

Details: During one of the nighttime missile attacks, Ivan was awakened by an explosion – a missile hit a section of his apartment block. Together with his mother, he tried to escape from their smoke-filled flat.

The fire broke out on the second floor, and although the family lived on the sixth, the smoke quickly filled the entire stairwell.

"On the stairs, it became hard to breathe, there was too much smoke, my eyes were burning, and my vision started to blur," Ivan recalls. "I was holding our dog and knew that both of us needed air. Mum was a floor above me. Between the ground and first floors, I opened a window to get some air and called for help."

First responders managed to pull the boy out, but moments later part of the stairwell collapsed, trapping Ivan's mother under the debris. They were not able to save her.

Ivan was rushed to Okhmatdyt hospital, where doctors diagnosed poisoning from smoke inhalation and placed him in intensive care.

Thoracic surgeons performed a bronchoscopy and found second-degree burns to his trachea, larynx and bronchi. Later, ophthalmologists diagnosed corneal burns in both eyes.

He underwent detoxification therapy to clear his lungs of plastic and soot particles, preventing further poisoning of his internal organs.

Ivan spent the first day and a half in intensive care, breathing on his own but receiving oxygen support to stabilise his levels. Once his condition improved, he was moved to the thoracic surgery department.

"The patient received detoxification, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and anti-swelling therapy to reduce inflammation and help the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract heal," said Svitlana Storozhuk, acting head of the thoracic surgery department. "Inhaling plastic smoke is extremely dangerous. Fortunately, the boy got to fresh air and medical care in time – otherwise, the outcome could have been tragic."

Once his breathing stabilised, doctors began treating Ivan's eyes. He suffered from light sensitivity and severe pain, so he was prescribed anti-inflammatory and keratoprotective therapy to restore the cornea and conjunctiva and prevent further inflammation or vision loss.

Within a week, Ivan recovered and was discharged from the hospital.

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