Vlad remembers with nostalgia his childhood and the evenings he went out with friends to football: life was simple back then. The father taught him from a young age not to run away from responsibilities and not to be indifferent to the needs of those who are suffering. He's not a banker, he's not a politician, he's a man of heart who's decided not to turn a blind eye to the troubles of those around him. The Romanian matrix tells the story of Vlad Pietă, president of the Association "Savea Heart", who in seven years has fought for more than 350 children diagnosed with cancer and other conditions.

Solved the first cases with the help of a blog

Vlad Pietă lives in the village of Boscoteni in Botoşani County. You can search for it on the map, but it won't be easy to find it. Quite many years ago, on the feast of the Assumption of Our Lady, Vlad came out of Mass. "At the gate of the monastery there was a family from Botoşani who shared black and white flyers in which the situation of his own child diagnosed with spastic tetrapars was presented. I had then a blog of Orthodox faith, the Orthodox Botoşanean, through which I came to meet readers with a page dedicated to humanitarian appeals. When I got home I contacted these people and I offered to support them with a blog post, and that's where it all started," Vlad Pietă confessed.      

"Many have confessed to me that by a simple donation they feel more fulfilled and rejoice with us"

Organization of the first action and donation platform

To have a legal form of operation, Vlad and his family set up an association. On 12.12.2012 he already had the papers in his hand and a well-established plan for the coming year. "The first action after the opening of the association was a charity concert of Byzantine music. I remember how before the event I walked Suceava from one end to the other, on foot, sharing invitations. We were then able to raise 3000 lei for a little girl from Craiova diagnosed with retinopathy of prematurity grade 4. After this event we performed many other carol concerts for other children. Our plan was to organize 4-5 charitable events per year and mobilize as many people as possible to support hard-pressed families," says Vlad Placinte for the Romanian Matrix.

"In the 7 years of activity we have raised more than 8,000,000 euros, and the number of people financially supported exceeds 350"

In 2014, on his birthday, he discovered an online donation platform in the US by chance. "Their idea of providing transparency and the way they worked seemed brilliant to me, and the next day I started looking for a web design firm to build such a donation platform. After long searches we found the web page of the programmer Marius Bucur who offered to implement the card payment system and PayPal free of charge, and since then he supports us today with fundraising programs within the company he works for," said Vlad Pietă.

Transparencyin relation to the donor is vital

Today there are many associations that raise money for various cases, but the trust of donors is hard to gain. Many donate a certain amount to a case, but what happens next with that money often remains a mystery. I asked Vlad Pietă how the Save a Heart Association relates to the dialogue with donors. "Donor trust is gained over time and with a lot of patience, but especially through transparency. Within the online donation platform www.salveazaoinima.ro, we see in real time the amount of the tight amount, the amount required, update with the evolution of the cases for which it was donated and, in particular, we also publish the payment orders made to clinics in the country or abroad".

"First of all, I'm motivated by the joy of children and parents when everything goes according to plan"

I am, however, cases where money cannot save a child's life. Even if the amount for the operation adds up, the fibrous bodies give way to cytostatic cures. It's hard, both for parents and for Vlad, to see a child become an angel so early. "There are days when I am no good, and I have often wanted to give up, but my family, my spiritual father and the books of Orthodox faith support me. The hardest thing for me is when I think of parents who are left with a pain in their heart that is hard to imagine. I remember Teodora Stamate, daughter of a priest, who at the age of 14 was diagnosed with bone cancer. I was deeply impressed by her struggle with both the pain, because the doctors in Austria were also impressed with how she resisted, but especially her spiritual struggle," says Vlad.

Motivation to always start over

Despite difficult times, God drips grace and joy when you don't even expect it. It is not uncommon when Vlad is called by happy families, when their child comes out of surgery, or when after treatment the cancerous tumors have disappeared.

I was curious to find out what motivates Vlad to fight for these lives. "First of all, I'm motivated by the joy of children and parents when everything goes according to plan. But it motivates me a lot and the joy of those who help through the Association Saves a Heart. Many have confessed to me that through a simple donation they feel more fulfilled and rejoice with us."

"Dad teaches us that everything we have to share brotherhoods with those who have no possibilities or at least support them morally"

In its seven years of activity, the Save a Heart Association has managed to bring joy and hope to more than 350 hearts. "So far we have made over 8,000,000 euros in receipts, over 350 cases supported financially, we have donated medical equipment for pediatric hospitals in Romania: Timişoara, Hârlău and Botoşani. I financially supported the construction of the Social-Educational Settlement "Saint Efrem the New" in Oneaga, Botoşani County. We very much want to promote both the online donation platform at national and international level so that we can support as many children as possible. We want to complete the construction of the Settlement of St. Ephrem the New in Oneaga, and last but not least to give as many tears of joy to those who are hard to try and to have the power to move forward, with the mercy of God."