Teen Cancer Survivor Helps 2-Year-Old Ukrainian Boy Fly To US For Life-Saving Treatment

A 13-year-old cancer survivor has helped a 2-year-old cancer patient flee war-torn Ukraine and safely travel to the United States to receive life-saving treatment.

Dima Negodiuk said Russian forces invaded Ukraine just a day after he found out his 2-year-old son, Mark, had cancer. He was told the boy would need surgery to have a large brain tumor removed.

"Can you imagine? Two years old, he so small [sic] head and 8-centimeter tumor," Negodiuk told CBS News. "So basically we understand that we only have each other in this life, so of course for our family the war was in the second place. The first place was to save, of course, our Mark."

Though Mark had the surgery a few days later, he and his family went through tough times as they took shelter in their building's basement while Russian bombs fell around them. Their hometown, Kyiv, was devastated by Russian troops, and it became difficult for Mark to receive the medical attention he needed.

"Even to send biopsy to the Europe ... we ask some volunteers to cross the border and send it to Germany or Italy to understand if it's like bad tumor or good tumor," Negodiuk told the outlet.

The father became hopeful after they got in touch with 13-year-old cancer survivor Elana Koenig on social media. Koenig, the founder of the Koenig Childhood Cancer Foundation, works with her family to provide children access to cancer treatment, according to KDKA. After hearing about Mark's story, Koenig made arrangements for the Negodiuks to fly to Newark from Poland.

"We started FaceTiming them. We saw their conditions. They were living in a basement," Koenig told CBS News. "They weren't getting proper treatment, so we organized a flight over here so that they can actually get what they need."

The father was worried about whether he would be able to travel with his son because men below the age of 60 are currently prohibited from leaving the country. However, he was granted a special exemption to accompany the toddler on the journey.

Negodiuk said it was a miracle that he received the special exemption. The Ukrainian family is now safe in New York City, where Mark can receive life-saving treatment and chemotherapy.

Koenig, who met the family at the airport, posted an update on Facebook sharing Negodiuk's plea for support and donations.