A young man from Botosani County managed to set up one of the most efficient platforms for helping sick children. Although he lives in a village, he has convinced tens of thousands of people to donate more than five million euros in just four years, managing to attract giants such as Google.

Vlad Placintă is 34 years old and lives in a hamlet in Botosani County, in Frumusica commune. A carpenter by profession, but also a farmer, like most locals, he lives with his family in a country house. From this rural universe, Vlad Placintă manages to save hundreds of lives. In the last four years, it has raised over 5 million euros for sick children in Romania. Moreover, from the same house near Frumuşica he managed to attract giants such as Google into his humanitarian projects, convincing them to equip a hospital in Botosani with equipment. For most, Vlad Placintă is a true phenomenon in Romania.
From a religious blog to a unique platform in Romania, Vlad Placintă was born and has always lived in the countryside, in the village of Boscoteni, near Frumuşica. He always dreamed of helping others, especially children in distress, impressed by the cases he saw on television or in real life. He was also passionate about computers, so he created a religious blog, where, besides publishing profile articles, he also gave ads urging people to offer money, directly, to families with sick children and without the financial resources necessary for treatment. Because things were going hard, being only an individual, Vlad Placintă founded, together with his mother and brother, an association called "Save a heart", after a real case that particularly impressed the young man from Botoșăne. All this was four years ago.

"In the beginning, nobody gave us a chance. They were even amused. But I didn't give up. I wanted to help people, so I did my best", says Vlad Placinta. The man from Botosani walked, presented the cases, looked for people willing to donate. But he wanted an online system to track donations, so that everything would be transparent. Days and nights of searching and informing about the possibility of setting up an online platform followed, all voluntarily. "I didn't gain anything from it, but it was my desire and I didn't think about effort, sleepless nights, anything," says Botoșănean. At some point, he came across Marius Bucur, an IT specialist working for Google in Switzerland who was impressed by Vlad Placinta's dedication and will. Thus, he accepted to become the programmer of the association, without any material reward. He created a unique platform in Romania, for real-time donations, which can be publicly monitored. At the same time, it is the platform that supports all types of donations both by SMS, PayPal or card. "A super-platform through which I could really help people," says Vlad Placinta. Months of promoting the platform and the association's intentions followed. Partners were always sought, including mobile phone companies, for donations and SMS payments. In four years, since "Save a heart" has been operating, Vlad Placinta, the carpenter from Boscoteni, has managed to attract multi-national partnerships or technological mammoths, including Google.

Over 5 million euros from donations Vlad Placintă managed, with this platform, to raise over 5 million euros from donations from individuals or companies, both in the country and abroad, especially from Romanians in the diaspora. The cases are presented in detail on the platform, including the evolution of the patient for whom they are collected, as well as the final result. The cases are carefully selected, being about children from families with precarious material situation or who cannot afford treatments. According to Placinta, these are children who desperately need operations on the heart, brain or other vital organs, children with cancer or bedridden and who need a chance. Each case is carefully checked by Vlad Placinta. "I ask for medical documents, then I call the clinic to see what it is, to check the amount needed.

I check my hospital discharge notes to see the diagnosis. After that, I start promovary the case, on the online platform", says Vlad Placinta. His association collaborates with clinics in Romania, but also in Turkey and other European countries. Children are sent for treatment and paid the necessary amount after the money is raised. The campaign for each case stops when the necessary amount is raised, displayed at the beginning of the proceedings. Vlad is supported by a team of volunteers from all over the country, hundreds of children being helped to live through these systems. There were also unfortunate situations. "These are the most difficult moments. I get emotionally involved and it is very difficult when I find out that he could not be saved", says Vlad Placinta. Maximum transparency What makes Vlad Placinta's approach truly unique is maximum transparency.

Everything happens in plain sight and anyone can track their donation, can clearly see who they are donating to, as well as the person's medical records. Payment orders and documents proving that money has been spent are also published on this platform. The donor sees exactly the medical documents of the person helped, the evolution of the case, but also how his money is spent. Vlad says transparency was what attracted most donors. Vlad Placinta's life hasn't changed much during this time, it's just that he's always busy. Donation for a hospital in Botosani This year, Vlad Placintă managed to convince Google to donate to a hospital in Botosani.

It is about the Pediatrics Department of the County Hospital "Mavromati" Botoşani. More specifically, Google Switzerland donated 73,000 lei for the purchase of medical equipment through the "Save a heart" Association. "We donated AccuVein medical devices for detecting veins in children to the pediatric department, but also Rapid Point 500, a gas analyzer. They were necessary devices for children", says Vlad Placinta.

Source ADEVARUL.RO