Katya began schooling in the autumn of 2011. Before that she didn’t have serious problems with her health, from time to time she caught a cold or had some other minor diseases. At that moment she lost some weight, but we thought it was because of classes. In early December, she had unexplainable fever, abdominal pain. We hurried to the hospital and she had ultrasonography and we were just shocked - a giant mass was in the retroperitoneal cavity: 13 x 12 x 14 centimeters!
After that, we consulted specialists in the regional children's hospital in the city of Zaporozhzhye, where she underwent open biopsy, was diagnosed and started chemotherapy. Katya’s treatment in Zaporozhzhye lasted until June 1, 2012. During this time, Katya had chickenpox and pneumonia and she had spent totally 28 days in intensive care. The blastema became smaller in size but not significantly.
Therefore, since June 2012, Katya continued her treatment in Kiev National Institute of Cancer where she completed four courses of chemotherapy.
In order to remove the blastoma we addressed the Russian Oncological Research Center named after Blokhin, where in October 2012 a group of surgeons held a 9-hour surgery to remove the blastoma. The Russian "Nastenka" Charity Foundation assisted us greatly to pay for this operation.
We returned again to Kiev to continue the treatment. After the surgery, Katya had 2 courses of chemotherapy. Then followed her radiation therapy. And again, two blocks of chemotherapy.
Finally, at the end of April 2013, Katya was allowed to go home! But even at home she continued her treatment - biotherapy. Summer passed quickly. Over that time during her summer holidays, Katya even managed to catch up with her classmates. And on September 1, 2013, she went to school as a third grade student.
But control MIBG scanning at the end of September 2013 showed the presence of new lesions.
After consultation in Kiev, it was decided to prescribe chemotherapy of the third line. At the end of two blocks, it became clear that it was not effective as the blastoma kept growing.
At present Ukrainian doctors can offer no medication - the only way is to continue treatment abroad.
We contacted several German clinics and only one clinic in the city of Greifswald offered us treatment. But this is too expensive for us – 231,000 euros for the first stage.
And taking into account that our family makes about 600 euros per month, and we have been dealing with our only child’s illness for three years, we will never be able to pay this bill on our own.
Currently the Russian «Marathon" Charity Foundation has already collected 150,000 euros. The remaining sum of 81,000 euro has to be collected by our family and with the help of other charity foundations as the payment for the first stage of treatment in the above mentioned clinic is 231,000 euros.
Sincerely,
the Radevs
Valery Radev (Katya’s father): +38 096 547 9451.
e-mail: valery_radev@gmail.com
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