Good afternoon, our dear friends and helpers,

Pardon our long absence. For nearly two months, we haven't posted any news about our dear daughter Katya.

During this time, she had her first post-operative checkup, which included an MRI, a bone marrow biopsy and a PET-CT. According to the diagnostic results, the professor and the leading physicians of the children's cancer department of the University Clinic of the city of Greifswald made the decision to proceed with the next stage of treatment. This next stage consists of immunotherapy, which is using special antibodies to destroy the neuroblastoma cells. To enhance the effect of the antibodies, they decided to conduct this therapy concurrently with chemotherapy. Thank God, two rounds of this combined treatment have already been finished. Katya is currently undergoing round three.

She had a difficult time with the first round, since her body had to cope with both the chemo and the antibodies. She didn't have much time to adjust to the treatment, which resulted in complications such as vomiting, severe stomatitis, weight loss, fluctuations of blood glucose, an allergic cough and pruritus, and rapid drop in blood counts. Nonetheless, with God's help, Katya was able to recover sufficiently to start the next round. During this treatment, they are constantly following the blood counts, and of course, the urinalysis, because the kidneys are also taking a very heavy hit. Therefore, our everyday life is divided between the children's cancer unit and our apartment. Katya is trying very hard; she very much wants to get back home to her grandpa and grandmas, friends and classmates.

Lately, Katya has been doing a lot of drawings, and in the apartment unit, she is more involved in socializing with the other children, who are also undergoing treatment.

Now, Katya is undergoing the next stage of her treatment. We very much hope for God's mercy and that the Lord will not abandon her and will give her the strength to continue this difficult struggle. I want to thank all caring and kind people who respond to our requests for helping our girl. Thank you for caring about our trouble, thank you for your prayers for Katya's good health. Every day, we thank the Lord for sending such people as you to us. Thank you for your attention and concern!

But, despite all this, we are once again compelled to ask you, our dear friends, for help. Up until this time, our family has not been able to fully pay the third bill presented by the clinic, covering the next stage of treatment (as we had written in an earlier post, the financial department and the administration of the Greifswald clinic accommodated us and divided the total bill of 527 thousand euros into several parts.)

During all this time, our family's finances have been totally drained and we are unable to pay the sum greater than 170 thousand euros, but stopping Katya's ESSENTIAL TREATMENT simply SHOULDN'T BE DONE, because it means that all the efforts, especially those of our child, will be wasted, all her struggles to overcome this terrible malady, not to mention the trials we'd already undergone, and your diligent efforts on our behalf, as well as her doctors' efforts on her behalf. Therefore, in our situation, we can only trust in God and in the help of caring people, to hope for your kindness and mercy.

I entreat you, please, help us continue the VITALLY NECESSARY TREATMENT of our only daughter Katya! I ask you to please pray for her good health. Please help Katya TO WIN!

Total collected ~ 372 722 euros (22 736 041 rubles, 6 712 700 Hryvnyas)

(exchange rate 1 euro= 61 rubles=18 Hr=$1.4=14 000 Belorussian rubles)

Still needed 165 687 euros (10 106 908 rubles, 2 982 366 Hryvnyas)

TOTAL AMOUNT 538 409 EUROS (32 842 949 rubles or 9 691 362 Hryvnyas)