A brief encounter with the Holy Father in December of last year became a source of strength for a young Ukrainian girl fighting cancer. Now, she has returned to thank him and share a special gift.
Thirteen-year-old Varvara from Ukraine was the last person to say goodbye to Pope Leo XIV before he left the hospital on Saturday after being treated for lung cancer. As he headed to his car to return to the Vatican, she shared a moving message: she had been treated for cancer and recovered.
Varvara had briefly met the Holy Father on December 31st, before going to the hospital for cancer treatment. During their latest encounter this past weekend, she told him that their earlier meeting “gave her the strength to overcome the illness I have now beaten.”
She also brought him some deeply personal gifts: the photograph of when they first met and a small, stuffed pope doll that she made for him to accompany the pope during his recovery. She shared how she had a doll just like him named Basik who had accompanied her throughout her hospital stay.
Varvara explained that the doll had been her friend during treatment, when she had none.
“He is the only friend I have had since the beginning of the war.”
The gifts offered a touching glimpse into what that first encounter had meant to her. A brief meeting with the Holy Father had become a source of encouragement through her illness, while the little doll provided companionship during her time in the hospital.
Now, with her treatment behind her, Varvara had the opportunity to tell the pope just how much that moment mattered! And how providential that she was the last person to greet him as he left Gemelli Hospital on Saturday when back in December 2025 he greeted her before her cancer surgery! Now the old friends are on the road to recovery together.