Carmen Uscatu, Founding Member and President of Give Life, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“When Dreams Meet and Come True
I experienced pain as a patient in hospitals and lived with it for more than 20 years. My greatest fear was not death—it was pain.
So when, during the pandemic, a Romanian anesthesiologist based in the US, Elena Brasoveanu—who had formed a dedicated team—proposed a project in which they could introduce pain therapy at Marie Curie Children’s Hospital, I welcomed the idea wholeheartedly. I began searching for doctors who wanted to join the project. I was lucky—and so were the children—because the medical director recommended an anesthesiologist from Marie Curie: Dr. Eugen Oleineac.
I was fortunate to meet him. He had shared the same dream but hadn’t been able to achieve it alone: introducing pain therapy as a new standard of care in Romania, starting right there at Marie Curie. He worked alongside the US team, local staff, and one of our colleagues at Dăruiește Viață to draft protocols and train the hospital personnel.
It was a pilot project, with all the expected challenges and breakthroughs. Later, he completed a specialized fellowship in Switzerland, at the Pain Clinic, Hôpital de La Tour, with the support of Daruieste Viață and Marie Curie Hospital.
Now he is back. And he treats pain. He returned with a clear vision: to establish a center of excellence in pain therapy at Marie Curie, develop reimbursement policies for these services, train other medical staff, and more. It’s a complex project, with its share of ups and downs.
Imagine undergoing surgery. When you wake up, without the support of a pain specialist, the pain can be unbearable for days. This doesn’t have to happen anymore—not when a pain specialist is there. And that’s just one example related to acute pain. There is also chronic pain, which can be significantly reduced.
Dr. Oleineac told me about one child who returned from surgery screaming in pain. After his intervention, she was calm. Everyone was relieved.
Step by step, the public hospital Marie Curie Children’s Hospital is becoming a place where children and parents are met with respect and empathy, where the quality of care improves daily, and where the chances of survival—and thriving—are greater. It’s becoming a place where doctors are eager to work because they have the knowledge, tools, and support to make a difference. They feel empowered, not powerless.
A place where children smile and parents hope.
And where we, Daruieste Viață and our supporters, feel we are fulfilling our mission:
to save children with both quality care and quality of life.
More about Dr. Eugen Oleineac, you can read on his LinkedIn profile.
Credit foto: Banu Stefan”
More posts featuring Carmen Uscatu on OncoDaily.