Hello,
My son Vyacheslav is seriously ill. He is a 5th grader and is 11 years old.
Slava was born and grew up at a northern village in Archangelsk region. He
is not only a first student in school, but is an also very physically fit.
He took prizes at the school runs. Slava is very sociable and friendly boy and
he is well respected by his peers.
Slavik got sick in December 2009 when he started complaining of stretching
pains in his joints. At first, he stayed at home and in January 2010 he was
hospitalized at pediatric unit of district hospital, where he underwent additional
testing and was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and thrombocytopenia.
Slava was at the district hospital until February 12, 2010 and his condition
continued to deteriorate: he could no longer walk, was losing consciousness
and was running temperature constantly. On February 12, 2010 Slava was
transferred to the Somatic unit of Regional hospital in Archangelsk where he
was examined and a primary clinical diagnosis was determined: acute myeloid
leukemia with minimal differentiation (FAB M0), primary-active phase as of
02/13/2010, high risk, in polychemotherapy process.
On March 1, 2010 he underwent bone marrow puncture, and myelogram showed
myelokaryocytosis of 9500, and megakariocytosis of 0.25% of blasts (cancerous
cells) – this is called M2b variant of response to polychemotherapy. Currently,
Slava's condition is still serious. He cannot get up and walk due to pains in
his feet, and still has ulcerous- necrotic stomatitis.
In the second half of March, Slava was transferred to R. Gorbacheva Pediatric
Hematology and Transplantology Institute in St. Petersburg for further treatment.
Our family is in a difficult financial situation, since Slava's father is now
with him at all times. I am pregnant and is now on maternity leave.
Please help us with paying for the tests and medications that are needed for
treatment and recovery of our son! I am hoping that good people will come to
our help.
Thank you in advance!
Update as of July 1, 2010.
Slava is now in Archangelsk Children's Clinical hospital.
He is undergoing planned chemotherapy cycle under the protocol
coordinated with the doctors from St. Petersburg. Once the
cycle is completed, he will undergo bone marrow transplantation
from his brother who is a 100% match, based on typing results.
Update as of August 18, 2010.
Vyacheslav has come to the Raisa Gorbacheva Institute of Children's
Hematology and Transplantology for a bone marrow transplantation.
He is feeling fine.
Update as of September 26, 2011.
Unfortunately, Slava had a relapse and he urgently underwent
bone marrow transplantation from his older brother.
He is now in cytopenia, but recovering.
Update as of October 6, 2010.
According to the test results Slava is in a deep sustained remission,
so the decision was made not to conduct bone marrow transplant at
this point. Slava continues to take maintenance medicine.
Update as of October 10, 2011.
Follow up puncture showed that the transplant has not taken hold.
Doctors are considering a transplantation from one of the boy's
parents. Due to cytopenia Slava got pneumonia with severe pains so he
was transferred to intensive care and had to be administered morphine.
At present the boy's condition is stable.
Update as of October 28, 2011.
Unfortunately, Slava's condition is worsening as leukemia is
progressing and bacterial infection is not responding well to medications.
Slava is in ICU on a respirator with pulmonary edema.
He receives intensive therapy.
