ATTENTION! AS OF 10/26/2021 Fundraising is closed due to the death of a child!
Alena completed her earthly journey. Sincere condolences to family and friends. Blessed memory of a tender angel!
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Many of us were keeping our fingers crossed for Alyona. First, we actively collected donations for her treatment, and after she left for St. Petersburg, we were eagerly waiting to hear her news. I have received many letters and phone calls asking "are there any news about Alyona's treatment?", "How is she feeling?", "When is Alyona expected to return home after treatment?"
Now I shall tell you everything in detail. Alyona had finished treatment on May 20th, and has already returned to her hometown of Zaporozhye. A few days ago, Alyona and her grandmother came to our office. We were, of course, very happy to see them both. Alyona told us everything about her course of treatment, and indeed, she had much to tell.
Regarding the treatment itself, it proceeded fairly smoothly, although it's a little too early to speak of long-term results. Our young lady had 30 cycles of radiation, with up to 3 grays per cycle. That is quite a lot of radiation, but it was necessary because the diagnostic testing had shown that three brain tumors had formed during the recurrence of cancer. As to the procedures themselves, it is understandable that radiation therapy had its unpleasant, and sometimes painful, moments, but that's unavoidable. Alyona met all her tribulations with fortitude. Thankfully, the medical and nursing staff was most kind, understanding, and caring. Alyona is deeply grateful to all of them.
She lived near the hospital, renting a room, so that she could immediately go right to the hospital if she felt sick. During her free time, Alyona often visited the temple located on the hospital campus; she told us the temple is very beautiful and welcoming.
Alyona is still not feeling her best; she is weak and exhausted. She showed me her "battle scars", the bald spots near her temples - the hair is slowly starting to grow back in. However, she wasn't complaining, simply passing along information, and kept saying, "soon, everything will heal and settle down." She also mentioned that she still has some residual numbness, but the doctors assure her that it will soon pass.
She had another piece of good news to share. During her entire stay for treatment in St. Petersburg, she didn't have even one seizure! And that's very promising.
As to the final results of the treatment, she has to undergo a PET scan in two months, which will reveal what the final results are. To our profound regret, there are no PET scanners in Ukraine - the nearest one is in Moscow. She will need money to pay for the PET scan; judging from prior experience of several of our clients, the scan will cost about 5,000 hryvnyas (625 US dollars). We are once again beginning to collect donations for Alyona, to pay for the scan. Her relatives will pay for her travel, food, and lodging expenses, but without your help, they simply don't have enough money to cover the cost of the PET scan.
I believe in all of you! Together, we can once again manage to help Alyona to complete her treatment, which she was able to undergo thanks to your help. Thank you for being with us! Thank you for helping Alyona get treatment, thus giving her a chance to continue living, and perhaps to even be cured!
