Help Cancer Patients Pay for Travel Expenses!

Ailana is 5 years old. She is from Northern Kazakhstan near the border with Siberia. In 2018 Ailana was injured and during the following year her mom kept a close eye on her. She was doing well for awhile, but in 2019 she started having seizures that lasted for a year. Ailana was diagnosed with epilepsy and prescribed a medication that helped to control the seizures.

Ailana started daycare, but she was constantly getting sick. In June 2023 she was running a fever and was taken to a local hospital so that she would not get a seizure. Her blood tests, however, showed that she had cancer cells in her blood. After a biopsy, the leukemia diagnosis was confirmed. Ailana’s young mom was shocked but wasted no time starting her treatment. After more than a month of chemo, Ailana had a brain MRI to check on the treatment’s effect on her brain. Unfortunately, it showed signs of her brain atrophy, while other tests showed that leukemia still persisted.

Ailana’s mom decided to seek access to more modern treatment and traveled to nearby Turkey. In Istanbul, Ailana was immediately hospitalized and was started on a different chemotherapy regimen. After 3 weeks, she achieved remission. At the same time, the treatment did not have a negative effect on her brain. Ailana was improving rapidly, and her mom decided to complete her treatment in Turkey. The treatment was expensive, especially for a single-parent household. With the help of family, friends and fundraising efforts, Ailana was able to complete her treatment and travel back home.

We are very grateful to you for your kindness that allowed us to support Ailana. Thanks again for staying with us and helping us save children like Ailana! Please join us the week of September 18-22 and donate any amount within $50. Your donation will get a 50% match from GlobalGiving during that week and will help even more patients. Mark your calendars!