A pregnant mom fleeing war-torn Ukraine had to search globally for a doctor to deliver her baby. Fortunately for Tetiana Kosheva-Zaichuk, she found help in the city of Las Vegas, U.S.A, where she gave birth to a healthy boy.
She was several months pregnant when the shelling started to hit the capital city of Kyiv back in March. Kosheva-Zaichuk said it was so dangerous in Kyiv and her parents were not ready to leave. She said they only left because she was pregnant.
Her husband, Sasha, was abroad at the time, as he was working for the cruise industry. She said she was worried about the war, but it gets more complicated if you start to think you won't survive. She added that you have to try to be positive.
Family moves to Vegas for the delivery
The family decided to make their way westward before eventually flying into Austria and then Italy. Tetiana said she had trouble finding a capable doctor for her pregnancy, and her husband convinced her to seek some help in the United States.
Their friends in Las Vegas recommended Dr. Paul Wilkes, who delivered their child. Wilkes, a perinatologist and high-risk pregnancy doctor, said that he was contacted by Sasha through Facebook when his wife was 27 weeks pregnant.
Wilkes said Sasha reached out and asked if maybe he could try and help them, and he did not hesitate to lend the couple a hand. The doctor said that to have someone under attack in Ukraine, halfway across the world, reach out and for him to be in a position to try and help them was very rewarding.
Wilkes worked out details with Desert Perinatal Associates, Southern Hills Hospital, anesthesiologists, and various embassies, to ensure that the Ukrainian family could come to Las Vegas and afford a delivery, according to Nevada Public Radio.
Baby Mykita born on July 23
Wilkes said that having a baby here in the United States can be, in some instances, prohibitively expensive. He said he felt compelled to take the stress of finance away from them to the degree he could.
Wilkes wanted them to focus on each other and on this miracle of bringing their baby into the world. He said that what could have been tens of thousands of dollars in medical bills were wiped away just through the compassion and generosity of the medical community in Las Vegas.
Baby Mykita was born at Southern Hills Hospital on July 23. Tetiana praised Dr. Wilkes, saying the delivery was perfect and so easy. She said that her son is doing fantastic and is just thriving.
Wilkes told Fox5 Vegas it is his dream to attend one of that little boy's birthday parties at his home in Ukraine. He said he is adding that to his bucket list. The family hopes to return to the European continent soon and has a goal to spend the first birthday of Mykita back in their home country of Ukraine.
