Help Cancer Patients Pay for Travel Expenses!

This year has been very difficult for cancer patients trying to access treatment they need when it is not available in their home countries.  With closed borders and quarantines, doctors and nurses diverted to fight pandemic, and delays and cancellations of clinical trials, patients had to accept less effective treatment or postpone their procedures. 

Some patients are still able to travel, however, and some hospitals are still accepting international patients.  We have seen a flow of pediatric cancer patients from Ukraine to Spain, for example. Anna is one of such patients.

Anna is a bright and happy 15-year old.  In spring of 2019 a classmate pushed her, and she ended up with a back trauma that healed over time.  But six months later, she began having pain in her pelvis and started limping.  Anna's parents took her to a neurologist and she was diagnosed with an inflamed muscle nerve and pelvic tilt.  The treatment did not help.  A month later, Anna had to start using crutches to move around.  Then Anna was admitted in a different hospital where she spent two weeks being evaluated.  Shockingly, she was diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma, stage IV and metastases in her lungs.

Anna was referred to the National Cancer Institute in Kiev where her diagnosis was confirmed and treatment recommendations issued.  She began treatment.  But certain treatment procedures are not available in Ukraine, and after Anna completed initial chemotherapy her family took her to Spain to continue highly specialized treament. 

Anna still has to undergo autologous stem cell transplant, surgery to replace her pelvic bone with an implant, and maintenance treatment.  All of this is very expensive and her family needs our support.  Your help will make sure Anna gets the treatment she needs to get well. 

Thank you so much for supporting Anna and cancer patients like her!  We really appreciate your selfless care for kids with cancer - even during pandemic, when all of us are facing so many new challenges and trying to adapt to a new reality.   

Take care and stay well!

Mihail is from Moldova, a father of two young girls.  In 2016 he was diagnosed with a brain tumor that is generally benign, but in some cases can present as a malignant tumor and grow and spead aggressively.  Unfortunately, Mihail's tumor was behaving atypically and he needed surgery to remove it.  Due to its difficult location, only a partial removal was possible.  Following surgery, Mihail had 30 sessions of radiation therapy to prevent tumor re-growth.  And for 18 months the family could breathe easier as Mihail had no symptoms of disease. 

However, in 2019 Mihail once again began experiencing tumor progression. The local specialists in Moldova rarely see brain tumors like Mihail's and they lacked expertise to attempt total tumor removal.  Mihail and his wife began searching for second opinions abroad.  Nearby, in Germany, they were able to find doctors with experience with his type of tumor and the family traveled there in early 2020, just as coronavirus pandemic struck Europe. This time, Mihail's left eye invaded by the tumor and nearby tissues had to be removed.  Post-surgery Mihail suffered from a stroke and had a difficult recovery, but he is finally turning the corner.  The costs of treatment have increased substantially due to longer than expected treatment, and Mihail's family was very grateful for support from our project. 

We are wishing Mihail quickest recovery possible and would like to thank you for your support.  Thank you for offering helping hand to patients like Mihail who have to travel abroad to have a chance to beat cancer. 

Stay safe!