Gentle Valik against the merciless cancer

Gentle and calm Valik from Khomutets village in the Poltava region, has not left the hospital for almost two years where he is being treated for a rare disease, called aplastic anemia. Well, as far as treatment goes, he is not being treated, because Valik cannot be cured by ordinary medicines. His own bone marrow does not function, and as a result his blood becomes progressively polluted. The doctors are barely maintaining Valik’s body so that the boy can survive long enough until bone marrow transplant is feasible.

His sisters are unable to be the donors, so Valik awaits transplant surgery from an unrelated donor. Such operations are not performed in Ukraine, so Valik needs to travel to an Italian hospital in Turin, for which we need 110 thousand euros.

All of a sudden. Usually, the disease comes that way.

First there were a small, suspicious bruises and extravasations from the skin, to which those around him paid no attention. Then the skin turned pale and weakness followed, prompting his parents to finally take Valik to the hospital for tests, of which an accurate diagnosis took a long period of time.

Valik was eventually hospitalized, and for the three months since he has been treated with only suppressive drugs rather than those prescribed for aplastic anemia.

The necessary drug simply was not in Ukraine; it was on re-registration. No drug, no treatment.

But among his relatives there was no compatible donor for the boy.

After crucial, lost time the drug finally appeared, but could not help Valik. In autumn of 2013 the doctor told Valik’s parents that, most likely, the disease would respond only to a bone marrow transplantation, yet there were no compatible donors.

Valik has recently began a new course of treatment using immunosuppressants. Unfortunately this new regiment has not helped him. Two years of Valik’s life has been spent failing to treat him. The boy no longer goes to school, and rarely sees his father and two sisters. All his friends are from the hospital now. Recently Valik’s best friend was discharged from the hospital and they regularly talk on the phone now. But Valik is very sociable and constantly makes new acquaintances.

He makes crafts from coffee beans, and engages in needlework with other children.

Valik sometimes wishes he could run with friends through the hospital corridors, but he cannot. The doctors forbid any activity of such patients. During the two years the boy has gained 20 kg. But tender Valik remains lighthearted and does not grumble, taking it all in stride.

“What would you like most, Valik?”

“In general, to recover, but also I would like to go home, I haven't been there for a long time. The last time was the past fall. I stayed there for the whole day and then went back to the hospital.”

As we talk to the boy on the phone in the background we hear the cries of a baby who cannot stand the painful treatment. Valіk takes no notice of the noise. Some kids in this ward die. But during these two years Valik has learned how to react to the death of his peers. His mother thinks so too. Valik just does not speak about it.

It seems that in his world it is normal that kids get sick, scream in pain and die. But it is not normal. Kids must live.

Name: Valentyn O. Strutskyi, born 15/02/2003

Location: Poltava region

Diagnosis: acquired aplastic anemia, extra-heavy form