It is the second year since Katya Petrova has been trying to fight her disease. It’s the second year of her desperate hopes of recovery. Even let it be not so full recovery at the moment, but – at least a partial improvement… Katya’s mother, like all the mothers of severely ill children, is even afraid to think about what would happen to them if they did not have this hope, desire to live and support from kind people around. Despite those fears and doubts, Natalya is actively looking for possibilities to treat Katya, and her efforts have met with some success.

Using the cut-and-try method, sometimes making mistakes, they’ve managed to pick up the medications, allowing Katya's body to “keep going”. There are even some beautiful days when it seems to Katya that the disease is over, and everything is back the way it used to be.

It was probably one of those sunny spring days, when this picture was made

But unfortunately such "breaks" are not frequent. As a result of an "erroneous" long-term course of hormonal therapy, Katya has got osteoporosis, since hormones make adrenal glands wash calcium off the body. To top it all, her leg has started aching, and X-ray examination showed femoral head necrosis. The process is still at its early stage, so again – there is a burning hope that the therapy will help to stop it.

If it were the only challenge she has to face! Katya constantly has a low platelet count. According to the norm of 180, the girl's indicator is just 40! However, the mother is controlling the situation and Katya’s doctor says that in spite of such a low count, her medulla is working and her hemogram is fine. And the recently chosen therapy is starting to show its positive results: now the girl does not have such frequent accidental hemorrhages, which could only be stopped in emergency care unit.

And the most important and complicated question, or rather a problem is that the medications which keep Katya alive, are expensive. To be more specific: among the most expensive drugs are “Equoral”, 1 package for month of which costs 1,100 hryvnyas (137 US dollars), “Gamma Globulin” (or “Atgam”) – 14,920 hryvnyas (1, 863 US dollars ) for one treatment course. Katya needs to take such course once every three months. Let alone cheaper medications for osteoporosis and other effects of the disease…

The current course of medications was bought thanks to colleagues of Katya's mother who donated their one-day salary. But the time flies fast – and in three months almost 15,000 hryvnyas (1, 873 US dollars) will be needed again! It’s something impossible for Natalya to save such an amount of money since her salary can hardly cover the medication costs. We already helped Katya last year, and her mother thought that we could probably help Katia again this time. We definitely can, can’t we?

I think that a positive attitude (which is not easy in their situation!), an incredible hope as well as confidence and a strong will help Katya and her mother stay alive. While listening to the calm voice of Natalya on the phone, I realized what it takes this woman to stay strong and self-possessed… So, I also came to believe that in three months we will help to raise 14,920 hryvnyas (1, 863 US dollars) to buy “Gamma Globulin” for the next Katya’s treatment course.

You may find the bank card details at the help request page of Katya.

For further information contact the volunteers of the Happy Child Foundation