The fifth point

15-year-old Ivan Gulevych from Donetsk is a sportsman. Since the age of five the boy has been engaged in combat sambo and his trainer believes that Ivan is among the most promising  sportsmen in his age group. As a matter of fact, at the age of 13 the boy became the second in a regional martial arts tournament. Nobody could even suppose that Ivan would meet with a real disaster – a disease with which he will fight for a long time for his own LIFE.

During Ivan’s operation there were bone changes revealed. Histology analysis of the biomaterials taken during the surgery allowed to make a new diagnosis: synovial sarcoma. With much difficulty they calculated a dose of beam-therapy for Ivan as the plate hindered radiation, nobody knows how it would react.

In 4 months after the operation a lump developed under the plate and Ivan was subjected to magnetic resonance therapy – the tumor had already reached the brain. There was an urgent need of the third operation – oncotomy. The biomaterials taken during the last surgery were sent for histologic analysis to 3 medical institutions: in Cherkasy, Minsk and Moscow. The diagnosis made was embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma, which is a rare type of tumor.

Since this May to date Ivan Gulevych has been undergoing treatment at Children’s Hematology Department of the Donetsk Regional Central Clinical Hospital (V.K. Gusak Urgent and Corrective Surgery Institute of the Academy of Medical Science of Ukraine). He has to undertake 9 courses of polychemotherapy, three of the number he has already taken. The treatment is very painful, long-term and expensive...

Each of us clears a different number of heights throughout our lives, overcoming certain life obstacles and achieving desired results. Youngling Ivan has had four heights in his life yet: victory in combat sambo tournament and three operations. He worthily achieved all those heights because he is strong, because his mother, the nearest person, has been next to him and because he really wants TO LIVE! Ivan has to achieve the fifth point – to overcome completely his horrible disease.

To get Ivan cured, it is necessary to raise 40 000 UAH for medicines required for chemotherapy, and elimination of collateral damage associated with the main treatment – chemotherapy. To raise the amount for the family is just impossible. That's why, it's only in your hands, dear benefactors, that this strong boy will be able to overcome the most difficult obstacle to LIVE! Please, help him!

Name: Ivan O. Gulevych, born 16/10/1998

Location: Donetsk

Diagnosis: embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma, G3