Cancer Kids Ukraine

Nikolai was fighting for his life up to the last moment. He had several cardiac arrests last week. But at 2 a.m. last night his heart stopped beating for good… It’s very hard to believe in his death. Not so long ago he used to run in the botanic garden, played in the game room and all of a sudden - a stroke… cardiac arrest… coma… death… It looks absurd. It should be that way…

From the archives

Nikolai Sholomnitskiy, born in 2001, Ewing’s sarcoma

Nikolai fell sick in March 2007. It started from bruises under his eyes. Three days later his right eye got enlarged. In April 2007 he had a surgery done in the Center for the Eye Microsurgery in Kiev. The doctors removed the tumor behind the right eyesocket. They didn’t do the histologic analysis of the tumor. Unfortunately, soon after the surgery the tumor started growing again.

In May 2007, Nikolai had another surgery done at the Institute of the Neurosurgery. The histologic analysis showed the peripheral neuroepithelioma. After the second surgery, the tumor started growing again. In June, Nikolai started the chemotherapy. The results of the chemotherapy were encouraging: the tumor reduced in size. Nikolai had the third surgery done. But the doctors were not able to remove the tumor. Soon after surgery it started growing again. The histologic analysis didn’t show any cancer cells in the tumor. Nikolai was prescribed radiotherapy and chemotherapy. In September 2008, Nikolai had the fourth surgery done. The doctors had to remove also a section of the skull bone because the tumor had affected it. After the surgery he was diagnozed with neuroectodermal tumor and had the chemotherapy, which was not effective because of the incorrect diagnosis. In December 2008, based on the results of another histologic analysis in Moscow, the doctors diagnozed Nikolai with Ewing’s sarcoma.

After being diagnozed with Ewing’s sarcoma, Nikolai was prescribed six blocks of the chemotherapy. He has four blocks completed. Nikolai stays at the cancer hospital in Kiev in Verhovinnaya street. He has to go to Moscow soon for the examination, high-dose chemotherapy, and bone marrow transplantation. Then there will be another surgery for the removal of the tumor behind the right eyesocket and affected section of the skull bone and vertex. The doctors also plan to replace the removed section of the skull bone with a plate. The family has been going through treatment for more than two years, without having a break. Nikolai had four surgeries done. His parents are asking for help in raising the money for the bone marrow transplantation. The bone marrow transplantation will be done in Moscow. It will cost about $8000.

You can reach Nikolai’s mother Tatyana at + 095 922 8692