Help Cancer Patients Find Bone Marrow Donors!

Each of the patients we support has a story to tell, and every experience is unique. It is our priviledge to be able to witness these moving stories and provide help whenever possible.  We hope that by sharing these stories with you we let you see the world through the eyes of someone who faces a terminal illness - and finds strength to live a normal life.

One of the most inspring patients we have seen is 21-year-old Yegor from Moscow. In January, he had the third recurrence of acute leukemia.  The first time he got sick he was 15, and his treatment lasted almost 2.5 years. Yegor was in remission for only eight months, but in that time he was able to accomplish a lot - he graduated from high school, passed a driving test and got his driving license, and enrolled into Sechenov Moscow First State University to study medicine.

When Yegor relapsed in August 2018, the doctors searched extensively for a compatible bone marrow donor in Russian and foreign registries, but none was found.  In December of that year, Yegor received a transplant from his father who was a 50% match, but he relapsed just months after.  The next transplant was from his mother who was a 70% match.  Through these challenging times, Yegor continued his college studies - mostly remotely, but also in person when he was able to attend.

After the third relapse, Yegor was able to achieve remission thanks to recently approved innovative therapy with CAR T-cells. However, to strengthen the remission he still needs to undergo bone marrow transplant from a donor.  Fortunately, there are now potentially matching unrelated donors available in the registry in Germany.  While the family was able to raise money for the initial deposit, they are struggling to cover the whole bill after exhausting their financial resources over the years of Yegor's illness.

Yegor's calm determination to live his life on his own terms regards of what obstacles come his way is very impressive, especially for someone so young.   Still, for Yegor and many other blood cancer patients, bone marrow transplants are often the only curative treatments for blood cancers.  Finding a matching donor withourt delay will allow these patients to return to normal lives and achieve their dreams. But they can't do it on their own - and we are so grateful for your support!   

Alina is a young woman from a village in Samara region.  Since childhood she has been very active and great at sports. Many times she took first prizes in competitions.  After she graduated from school she studied to become a chef.  But in 2014 while she was in her second year of college, she was constantly sick with what seemed like flu - fevers, fatigue, nose and gum bleeds, and fainting spells.  Alina was hospitalized in the regional hospital for two months, but she did not get any better.  Then she was transferred to Hematology unit of regional University hospital and that's where she was diagnosed with acquired idiopathic aplastic anemia - a type of blood disorder in which bone marrow stops producing enough blood cells. 

Alina began relying on blood transfusions and immunosuppressive therapy, but two years later her condition worsened once again.  She developed paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria - a blood disease in which red blood cells are destroyed.  In addition, frequent blood transfusion led to iron overload in her blood.  Alina's condition continued to deteriorate over time and in late 2019 she was referred to St. Peterburg for bone marrow transplant - the only potential cure in her situation.

It took a long time - over a year - to find a matching donor for Alina. Finally, in February 2021 a donor was found in Israel.  Alina was scheduled for pre-transplant therapy to be followed by transplantation.  Unfortunately, her father passed away, and her family is unable to afford the full cost of bone marrow donor search.  Thanks to your support, we will be able to make a deposit of 5000 euros to help Alina access the lifesaving treatment as soon as possible.

We are very grateful for your support despite the pandemic and all the challenges it has brought on!   Thank you for being with us and stay safe!