Lena and loneliness of cancer

Lena Krutiy from Tulchin city of Vinnitsa region is 13 years old. She has high-risk acute lymphoblastic leukemia and the Ukrainian medical system cannot help her anymore. Her last hope is a transplant of bone marrow from an unrelated donor outside Ukraine. Therefore, Lena is going for treatment to Pisa. Her treatment in Italy costs EUR 127 thousand.

13 years is a great age. Children grow into teenagers, the boys are crazy about girls turning into women. All boils and turns, and the world around becomes aggressive and hostile, while exciting. But all this just has stopped for Lena. School, friends, boyfriends…. All this stuff left in March this year, the day when doctors diagnosed leukemia.

Now the Lena’s life narrowed to a hospital. This is where she spends most of her time in order not to pick up any infection. She does not go to school, and consequently, she stopped learning, because the hospital does not provide any education or lessons.

She is receiving aggressive chemotherapy. She feels weakness and dizziness. She feels pain in her mouth because of plagues and cannot talk, eat and drink in a normal course.

Moreover, she was infected with hepatitis C after blood transfusion and she gets fat because of hormone therapy.

Her mother is raising Lena alone and was forced to leave the job and take care of her daughter.

Also, Lena is very upset because her luxurious long hair is thinning every day. She had being resisted to cut them as long as possible albeit they became very thin. But, she ought to since hair came out every single day. She cried about this several days.

Lena is very young girl, she wants to live an ordinary teenage life and have fun with her friends. But, what can she talk to them about? Which status can she put at her Vkontakte page? The status like her one is not popular in the social media. Which photos can she upload for public? Photos from cancer department of kid’s clinic are hardly interesting for her teenage friends at Instagram. Her intense pain and fear and struggle remain invisible to the social networks as well as for classmates and friends.

Lena feels deep loneliness. At the beginning of her treatment, the guys from her class and best friends called her regularly and supported her, and once even came to the hospital. But now no one calls or visits. And does not even message. Absolutely. Lena’s mum tries to explain her daughter that it was not because of malice or indifference, but simply because of fear. It’s really scary to call friend who has being treated for cancer for more than six months and ask how she is doing. It’s scary because adults do not learn how to properly receive and perceive these situations, they are not able to properly react at such situations themselves and have not learned such skills their children as well. But it’s difficult to explain this to a teenage girl.

Lena is quietly working on Italian language course book, she likes embroidery, origami and puzzles.

She has just one chance for life and we are collecting money for her life-saving surgery. On ubb.org.ua we are going to raise a part of the necessary amount. Please Join us.

You're not alone, Lena. We are with you.

Name: Olena A. Krutiy, born 15.05.2002

Location: Vinnytsia region

Diagnosis: acute lymphoblastic leukemia, acquired hepatitis