Larisa Romanenko has passed away
By admin. Filed in News |
Larisa Romanenko passed away today. She completed two blocks of high-dose chemotherapy with a lot of complications. She was dreaming to go to Minsk (Belarus) for the bone marrow transplantation. She got an intense headache last night. The doctors think it was caused by the cephaledema. A few hours later she passed away. We have hard time believing Larisa has left us for good. Unfortunately, this is the reality. Larisa was a very courageous girl. She was patiently enduring all the complications and severe pain that she had.
From the archives
Larisa Romanenko, DOB April 23, 1994, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, cell type, first very early marrowy relapse
Larisa was a regular child. She used to attend a high school and a dance school. But one day I noticed the enlarged lymph nodes on her neck. The next day, I took her to the hospital, where she had a blood test done. As soon as the results of the blood work arrived, Larisa was referred to the children’s oncohematology department in Donetsk, where she was diagnozed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The treatment was not easy for Larisa. During the first stage of chemotherapy, her left arm got paralized. Her arm stayed numb for two months. She also got problems with veins and got thrombophlebitis. Larisa had two abdominal surgeries. During the first surgery she had a colostomy done. During the second surgery the doctors restored her intestinal tract. Larisa spent 11 months at the hospital.
She completed treatment 4 months ago. We thought all our problems were in the past. But after a routine checkup, we got a phone call from the doctor who told us that Larisa had got problems with her blood. The puncture showed 64% of the blast cells. When Larisa learned that her disease came back, she spent several days in bed with her face turned towards the wall. She didn’t want to talk to anyone. Neither she could comprehend that she had to start the treatment all over again. Now Larisa is undergoing the antirelapse treatment. Then she will need a bone marrow transplant. In a couple of days, we will send our blood samples for HLA matching. We hope either me or my husband will match Larisa as bone marrow donors. Please, help Larisa complete the treatment. Help her, please, believe that life is not only about pain and sufferings, that there can be a place for happiness and joy in life.
You can reach Larisa’s mother Nataliya at +38 050 299 9331