Hello,
My name is Elena Bykova. I am a mom of two wonderful children. My
daughter Sashenka is 5, and my son Dima is 18 months old.
Sasha loves watching cartoons, sing and dance, especially to Zhenya
Otradnaya songs. She can already count and help me in the kitchen.
In 2006 Sasha got sick. At first she got fever and she was
hospitalized at the infectious diseases hospital. For two weeks she
was treated for an infection, but once she had a puncture, it showed
that my daughter had acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
At the Children's regional hospital in Belgorod we underwent all
necessary protocols and maintenance therapy and on January 3, 2009
Sasha completed her treatment.
On April 17, 2010 Sasha was diagnosed with a relapse. The doctors in
Belgorod recommended that Sasha undergoes bone marrow transplantation.
At first we came to Russian Children's Clinical hospital in Moscow for
a consultation, but they referred us to St. Petersburg because there
is a long waiting list for transplantation at RCCH.
We are now in St. Petersburg. Soon Sasha will undergo bone marrow
transplantation. She was already found a donor at the international
registry (we are sincerely grateful to Grant Life fund for agreeing to
pay for the donor search). We now need to raise 2,500 euros for
delivery of donor's bone marrow.
We need to rent a place to live in St. Petersburg. The rehabilitation
after the transplantation is very long and can be complicated. Sasha
will need expensive medications (Intraglobin - costs 9,000 rubles a
bottle, Vfend - 28,000 rubles a package), Neupogen - 30,000 rubles,
and other drugs).
We are asking for your help! We will not be able to afford this
treatment by ourselves. I am on a maternity leave, so only my husband
works and looks after our youngest son. Please help us get Sasha well
and live together as a family again.
Update as of May 20, 2010.
Sasha is in 27th day post-transplant. On the 19th day she was
discharged for outpatient monitoring. She is now taking
Mycosyst (150 mg daily). She feels rather well, but has no
appetite at all.
Sasha's blood counts rose at first and then went down again.
Her leukocyte count is 2.6 and platelets are 46, while hemoglobin is
normal. Tomorrow she and her mom will go to the clinic for tests.
On May 19th Sasha underwent bone scan and was diagnosed with
osteoporosis. The therapy for it is not yet prescribed.
Update as of July 1, 2010.
Sasha had symptoms of skin and intestinal GVHD and spent a month at the hospital.
She is now transferred to outpatient monitoring. Sasha feels better and she
started eating and going for walks. GVHD symptoms are gone, but Sasha is
bothered by cough.
The doctors diagnosed her with laryngotracheitis, and she is receiving
appropriate therapy.
Based on results of puncture taken on 60th day post-transplant, she
is doing well and is in remission. Donor's bone marrow is working well.
Update as of August 18, 2010.
Sasha had a spontaneous pneumothorax, and the situation is complicated with
a bacterial sepsis. Sasha is on artifical lung ventilation. She badly needs
Cansidas - one bottle per day for an indefinite period of time. One bottle
costs around 18,000 roubles.
