A Ukrainian family has faced tragedy as a dad is shot by Russians on the frontline while his four-year-old son battles cancer.
Dmytro Vasyliovvch Kurylyak, 31, is being treated in Odessa after putting his life on the line in the charge against Vladimir Putin’s six-month campaign of terror.
Meanwhile, his little boy, Maksym has spent most of the war sheltering from bombs in a Kyiv hospital basement while bravely facing his own fight against leukaemia. He was recently discharged from hospital but still hasn’t got the all-clear.
Having only seen his ‘superhero’ dad once since February, the little boy says he doesn’t want him to be a soldier anymore and just wants the war to end so they can be together again.
Speaking to Metro.co.uk from hospital, Dmytro said: ‘It’s painful to be far away from Maksym when he’s sick, he’s only little.
‘I call my wife, Liliya, whenever I can so they can see I’m alive and I can see that he is healthy and in the best place he can be.
‘It’s hard but I’ve never told my family about how scared I am. I just tell them the war will end and I’ll be back soon.’
Tabletochki, Ukraine’s biggest non-profit organisation helping children with cancer, reports the survival rate for kids diagnosed with the disease is just 50%.
Moscow’s troops have been accused of deliberately bombing hospitals where patients like Maksym are being treated, which would violate international law. Russia has denied targeting civilians.
Meanwhile, more than 1,000 children with cancer have been forced to evacuate to continue their treatment abroad.
The Kurylyak family was devastated when Maksym was first diagnosed with leukaemia aged just three in August 2021 – with the heartbreaking news coming just after Dmytro lost his mother.
Medics put the little boy through three rounds of chemotherapy in an effort to make him better – but everything changed in February 2022.
With Kremlin troops threatening the country, warehouse worker Dmytro knew he had no military experience, but volunteered after feeling he had ‘no option’ but to defend his homeland.
Alongside his two brothers, the patriotic father left to join the frontline, leaving his child in the care of Liliya, 28, and doctors in Kyiv.
‘Maksym was already fighting cancer, and I had to prepare my wife that anything could happen, that I might not return’, he said.
‘War is scary. It’s like a rain of shelling non-stop. But my main focus is, will my family be safe?
‘Maksym’s medical tests were not good for most of the war and it was impossible to transport him anywhere.
‘I’ve told my wife that if they have a chance to evacuate anywhere, they should do it and we will find each other anywhere in the world when the war ends.’
He continued: ‘He still doesn’t understand what kind of illness he has. He knows he’s sick. That’s all.
‘His main fear is that we’ll leave him in the hospital. The first time, he was constantly asking to go home and said he hated it.
‘He’s got used to it now because everyone knows him well. He’s very loud and you can easily see him in the crowd.
‘He’s a stubborn and restless boy but he loves to help others, particularly his grandparents.’
Things took an even scarier turn for the family when Dmytro was shot in both legs, also suffering a shrapnel wound on his back, on April 25.
Although the dad faces a lengthy recovery, it has given him a chance to reunite with his family as he remains on sick leave.
In July, he surprised his loved ones by appearing at Maksym’s hospital just before he was discharged.
Dmytro said: ’An entertainer came in a Spider-Man costume but Maksym said the main superhero wasn’t Spider-Man but me. It was a really nice day.
‘At first, he didn’t leave my side, he even slept with me. He wouldn’t let me out of his sight.’
Following the emotional reunion, the dad plans to visit again – but he says it’s his duty to return to the frontline as soon as he is in full health.
‘At first, Maksym was proud and told every doctor his dad and uncles are soldiers who defend Ukraine’, he said. ‘But when I got injured, he told me he doesn’t want me to be in the Army anymore.’
However, as Putin shows little sign of giving up and fears of nuclear disaster linger, Dmytro believes he will be away from his little boy and wife for another two years.
‘My family is the most important thing to me, but the war will not end quickly no matter how much we would like it to’, he said.
‘It’s difficult but it’s our country and we want to live as free people. Maksym says he’s waiting for the fighting to end so he can go to McDonald’s.’
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