Cancer Kids Ukraine

“We fed the fish and saw a squirrel. It was asking for bread but Katya was holding a piece of bread in her hand very tight and said she would give it only to a swan.” It was a fragment of Alina’s letter. Alina is Katya’s mother. I can almost see her writing this letter, casting glances at her daughter every minute, listening for her breath. She has so many things to do while Katya is sleeping. Katya is all her young parents have. She is their treasure, their beloved baby, their wonder. Having checked on her daughter again, Alina continues writing, “Katya is very courageous. Although she felt sick and vomited a lot during the chemotherapy, she still tried to keep her chin up. She was even able to sit on her bed for five days. It was a heroic deed for her because she is a very active girl. But when I told her that we would need to stay at this hospital for a while, that every such thread (i.e., intravenous line) brings us closer to home, to our cat Zhora, Katya agreed to put up with the treatment for a while.”

Katya is seriously ill. She has neuroblastoma of the fourth degree. This 3-year-old girl has been sick for almost a year. All this time, her parents have been literally fighting for her life. At first, she stayed at the hospital in Lugansk . Then she stayed at the hospital in Kiev and in Moscow. The doctors couldn’t diagnoze her. But then all of a sudden they said she had neuroblastoma with multiple metastases. Katya started the treatment but it turned out to be ineffective. Her parents started looking for some other options. They found a clinic in Singapore. Now Katya is undergoing treatment in one of the best clinics in the world. The experienced doctors say she has good chances for recovery. Her tumor responded to the treatment. Not so long, she had the tumor removed. She still needs to undergo the chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and bone marrow transplantation. These are essential conditions for her recovery. It has to be done in Singapore. There is only one “if” here: if Katya’s parents can raise the money to pay for it. There can be no delays in cancer treatment. When Katya’s parents got a response from Singapore, they didn’t have time to wait until they raise enough money to pay for all the treatment. They had to leave and start the treatment as soon as possible. It was a matter of life and death. Katya’s mother has to pay for everything – for every injection, for every procedure, for every visit to the doctor. The money she has slips through her fingers. Alina continues her letter, “Katya loves her doll Mima. It looks shabby, with the stains of the brilliant green on its clothes. But she still loves it. She feeds Mima, covers it with the blanket, puts it on a pillow, then pushes a button of her tummy and Mima starts crying. Katya starts cradling it in her arms saying, “Mima, don’t cry. Everything will be all right.” Alina wants to tell as many people as possible about her wonderful daughter. Maybe, someone will decide to help Katya after reading these lines. If Katya’s parents don’t raise the money for further treatment, Alina will have to take Katya back home to Ukraine. Nobody is going to offer her treatment on credit. Katya needs about 60,000 EURO. Please, help her.