Gratitude flows as expat boy Daniel returns to Phuket continuing to fight for life
PHUKET: The family and friends of Daniel Andreiev, a 10-year-old Ukrainian boy who survived drowning in Phuket on May 2, have extended their heartfelt gratitude to all supporters after medics in Bangkok confirmed the boy’s return to Phuket tomorrow (July 7). Still in a coma, Daniel shows steady progress in recovery, making his mother Liudmyla believe in a man-made miracle by the Thai doctors along with Thai and foreign supporters who keep donating money to bring her son back to life.
“This Friday, July 7, we are coming back home with Danya [Daniel]. Having done the necessary tests yesterday and today, his doctors have confirmed he is stable and ready for transportation from Bangkok to Phuket by an ambulance. We, parents, have undergone training to provide full care. All prescriptions and procedure schedules have been prepared. With your amazing help, we re-organised and fitted Danya’s room to have all the necessary equipment and more. Please accept our biggest gratitude for your truly invaluable help,” Liudmyla shared through social media.
Last week, Liudmyla celebrated her birthday at Samitivej Hospital, where Danya continued to receive exceptional medical treatment surpassing expectations. The Ukrainian boy, who had survived 10 minutes of clinical death on May 2, had already shown significant improvement. As a symbolic birthday present to his mother, Danya made a clear attempt to breathe on his own when doctors manipulated the ventilator.
This encouraging sign of recovery, along with increased muscle and brain activity, further uplifted spirits. To make mother even happier, since last Wednesday (June 28), Daniel has been consuming regular food, including his personal Ukrainian favorites like buckwheat.
“Danya keeps pushing forward in his recovery progress. He moves a lot and responds to stimulation as we keep promoting his activity and cheering him up. This is the result of an incredible labor nourished by faith in Danya’s recovery and love. And these are not only his family’s faith and love; these are faith and love of all the people who responded to our plea for help and care about Danya now. A challenging road lies ahead; Danya requires a lot of help, but he wants to live, and he will. We are determined to bring him back to life; we will help him with his struggle; we will put every effort into it. We can do it,” Liudmyla said.
According to the “Help Daniel” support group, the most urgent matter as of July 6 was paying the balance of Daniel’s hospital bills and covering the transportation costs – around B300,000 in total.
Speaking to The Phuket News today (July 6), Liudmyla humbly asked all the people who have provided support before to not stop now when only a few final steps are left to be taken. The amazing expertise of Thai doctors and generous contributions from the people of Phuket and all over the world have already resulted in what Samitivej medics describe in one word – “Unbelievable”.
“As the support group, we just cannot put our hands down now when amazing Thai doctors and all the supporters have done so much for Danya. From day one, every donation – be it B10 or B100 – matters a lot for us and undoubtedly makes a difference. No help is too little, and respecting every donated coin, we aim to be as frugal as possible. Though non-monetary help matters equally if not more. Spreading the word about Danya – be it through social media or word of mouth – was how we found these wonderful doctors for him. Literally, every Baht and every ’Like’ matter,” one member of the “Help Daniel” group told The Phuket News.
Comprehensive information on how to donate B10, B100, or more for Daniel is available at http://helpdaniel.info. Visit “HelpDaniel” pages on Telegram, Facebook, or Instagram for heartwarming reports of the boy’s recovery or to send a message with words of support to Daniel and Liudmyla. As confirmed by doctors, Daniel can hear speech and react within the steadily growing capabilities of his brain.
