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Hello!
My name is Katya. A year and a half ago our family was struck by a disaster. Our beloved daughter Diana who was only a year old at the time, was diagnosed with a terrifying disease: cancer. Our little girl is a long-awaited child. Diana was born, as it seemed to us then, a healthy girl. She was rated 8 on Apgar scale. My husband and I were incredibly happy.
Once when Diana was 2.5 months old, she developed a rash on her back. The doctors diagnosed her with allergic dermatitis. Diana underwent a course of treatment, but the rash stayed. After some time, our little girl developed dandruff on her head. Then we got really scared, because by that time Diana was already constantly getting sick with colds, but her diagnosis stayed the same and she was treated under earlier prescriptions.
My husband and I took our daughter to St. Petersburg for examination (we are from the city of Apatity in Murmansk region), and there Diana was diagnosed with histiocytosis. It sounded like a sentence at the time. We decided to not give up and managed to get a quota from the city of Murmansk for Diana to be treated at Oncology center in St. Petersburg. Thanks to highly qualified specialists, Diana's diagnosis was corrected as Langerhans' cell histiocytosis with involvement of skin, mucous tissues, bones, lungs, liver, spleen and lymph nodes.
After a year-long treatment, our girl's condition improved noticeably, and we were discharged home in remission. However, during our return for planned examination six months later, Diana was diagnosed with relapse. At that time, our daughter's right eye started to bulge out, and she began drinking up to 10 liters of water a day. The examination showed that Diana's skull bones were affected, and she also developed diabetes insipidus as a result of her disease. Diana needs Minerin medication daily, which is very expensive for us. If she does not receive it, she becomes completely dehydrated.
Diana and I are now undergoing treatment in St. Petersburg. Denis, Diana's dad, is on a mission in Chechnya to enable Diana receive medications and medical services she currently needs. Still, we are catastrophically short on money. We would like to ask those who have such possibility to take part in treatment of our child. We are sincerely grateful to you for your understanding and support of those who need it. Thank you.

Denis, Katya and
Diana Vashchenko
Contact phone:
+7 (902) 133-05-39 (Katya)

Epicrisis

Update as of April 22, 2009. Diana completed the first chemotherapy block and she was allowed to stay at home for a week.

Update as of May 19, 2009. Diana feels great. Her disease is not progressing. On May 15th Diana started the second chemotherapy round.
Diana's mom

Update as of August 20, 2009. We are now at the hospital and test results show increased cytomegalovirus titer. Due to heightened CMV, chemotherapy is delayed. Diana's liver and spleen are also enlarged.
The CT scan of her lungs showed dark spots, and in the doctors' opinion, they may be due to the high CMV titer.
Diana does not feel very well. She is fatigued, cranky and gets very tired. I have to carry her in my hands all the time, because she does not feel well and does not want to walk. We are now undergoing tests.
Diana's mom

Update as of November 27, 2009. Diana feels well. The tests showed that she has no new lesions. We will return for tests in a month.
Diana's mom

Update as of February 1, 2010. During scheduled examination, Diana was found to have a tumor, 3 cm in length. On Wednesday, if treatment quota arrives from Murmansk by that day, she will be hospitalized.

Update as of February 8, 2010. Today Diana was supposed to undergo isotope test of the newly discovered lesions, but unfortunately it had to be canceled, as Diana's temperature rose to 37.5C. Most likely, it is due to a cold. We were discharged home. We are hoping that soon we will be able to come back and start the treatment.
Diana's mom

Update as of March 26, 2010. Diana is undergoing a course of treatment that was postponed due to a cold. It will last six weeks and will be followed by tests.

Update as of March 31, 2010. Diana and I are now at Petrov Research Institute on treatment. After an examination, another lesion was found in the rib bones. Diana is undergoing a chemotherapy course that will last 6 days. Two of such courses are planned, and afterwards the doctors will discuss possibility of stem cells transplant at R. Gorbacheva Institute.
Diana's mom

Update as of June 6, 2010. Diana and her mom have been in St. Petersburg since May 13. Diana is now undergoing tests. She had MRI of her head and it showed no negative changes. Diana feels well. On June 3 she turned 3 years old. Further treatment is under discussion.

Update as of June 10, 2010. We underwent examination at R. Gorbacheva clinic. A possibility of stem cell transplantation was considered, but after an examination it was decided that since the tumor responded well to high-dose Methotrexate, therapy at Petrov Oncology Institute will be continued. We were allowed to go home for 10 days.
Diana's mom

Update as of November 29, 2010. Diana is at home. She is undergoing chemotherapy in pills under monitoring of local hematologists. She feels well.

Update as of February 8, 2011. As of now, Diana feels well. Since February 7th she has been examined at Petrov Oncology Research Institute. Further treatment will depend on its results. Previous tests showed stable disease.
Diana's mom

Update as of June 7, 2011. The tests showed small shrinkage of tumor in Diana's leg. She is now at home and takes chemotherapy in pills. Diana will need to come to the clinic for tests in August.

Update as of October 22, 2011. Based on tests performed in August, Diana is considered to be in a partial remission. Her brain tumor has not shrank much, but it has not grown either. It was decided to interrupt medication intake until November. In November Diana and her mom will come in for scheduled tests. A dose and schedule of cladribine, a new medication made by Merck Serono, will be prescribed for Diana. She will probably need help with buying it.

Update as of November 12, 2011. Control tests are scheduled for the late November. Diana feels rather well, plays outside and draws a lot. After the tests, it will be decided whether cladribine therapy needs to continue.

Update as of January 24, 2012. Diana is being transferred for monitoring and treatment at Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology Center in Moscow. Planned tests showed that her brain tumor is unchanged. Decision regarding therapy with cladribine was not made yet.
Diana feels well despite symptoms of developing steroid diabetes. She is receiving appropriate therapy.

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