Ukrainian evacuee, 5, celebrates end of cancer treatment

A five-year-old girl, who was evacuated from Ukraine while being treated for cancer, has rung the end of treatment bell at Alder Hey Children's Hospital.

Zlata, was one of 21 seriously ill children who were transported with their families from Ukraine to the UK, in March 2022 following the Russian invasion.

Aged three at the time, Zlata had been receiving treatment for leukaemia in Kharkiv when it was hit by Russian bombs.

Her parents, Vladymyr and Alina, said their daughter was now in remission and could finally play with her friends.

"When she was in the hospital she always wanted to play but she couldn't because she always felt unwell after the chemotherapy," Zlata's father Vladymyr said.

"Now she has finished the treatment she plays with her friends, she likes to swim, to ride her bike and going to school.

"She is doing all the normal things children do. She's happy and she's healthy."

Zlata first came to the UK with her mother, but Vladymyr was initially unable to join them, which he described as "very hard".

However, he said he was "very happy" knowing Zlata was being treated at "a very good hospital" in Liverpool.

Consultant paediatric haematologist Kat Lindsay, who has been involved in Zlata's treatment, said she had done "amazingly well".

"She was very poorly when she was first diagnosed but she came over to us about two to three months into her treatment and we have then continued it for the following two years, she said.

"She is in full remission now,"

Ms Lindsay added: "She did amazingly well and really adapted to being here.

"We hope that the rest of her clinic visits will simply be checking in with her promoting her health for the long-term.

"I was absolutely delighted when she rang the bell."

Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas to [email protected]