To overcome leukemia recurrence

They say that if in 5 years the cancer does not come back it means that one has recovered. Little Oleg’s family wanted so much to forget the terrible memories of the boy’s childhood: when he was three years he had to fight against against leukemia.

The disease gradually receded and almost remained in the past. However, during the last months the boy felt bad: he was weak and pale. The doctors’ verdict of was a recurrence. But now there are no necessary drugs at the department. The boy needs chemotherapy drugs without which he cannot start treatment. One of these drugs is not included in public procurement and the other has not arrived to the hospital.

Oleg remembers almost nothing of those times. Now he will have to overcome new hardships that will remain in the child’s memory: at first high dose chemotherapy to kill the evil cells and then bone marrow transplantation. Now the family still have to realize what’s going on. Some days the mother and her son may be crying all day long...

It seemed that everything was changing for the better. Five years passed after the boy’s disease. Oleg finished the second grade although because of his disease he studied almost always individually. His little sister Anna who is less than one year old was born. They are just an ordinary family like many others who live in our neighbourhood.

But one day everything changed. Now Oleg’s mom is at the hospital with him and his father takes care of the little sister and has to think where he can find necessary drugs. However, the family hopes that everything will be all right. Let’s help little Oleg not to lose this hope! He has a whole lifetime ahead.

Name: Oleg Podvirnyi, 31.07.2007

City: Lviv

Diagnosis: recurrence of acute myeloid leukemia, high risk