Silence and cancer

UPD: unfortunately, Yurii died. The disease was stronger. The UBB team brings our sincere words of condolences to the boy's family and thanks to everyone who supported Yurii. He does not speak or hears. But his eyes are always eloquent. Joy, care, question, hope. All the emotions of Yura Shtrykul you can read in the eyes over the protective mask. Yura is ill with leukemia, weighed down by immune deficiency. Now there was a relapse. He urgently needs expensive inaccessible in Ukraine therapy and bone marrow transplantation. 

Since three years, Yuri lives in a world of silence – he has bilateral sensorineural deafness. At the age of six, the boy entered the Poltava specialized boarding school for deaf children. Here he got carried away with football, participated in various sports competitions.

Two years ago everything changed in Yuri’s life – doctors found a rare type of chromosomal disorder, which sometimes happens with leukemia. Very soon after it confirmed the diagnosis – acute leukemia. Yura was treated in Poltava, and then at the Children's Oncohematology Center of Okhmatdet Hospital. Then the results of the treatment allowed Ukrainian and foreign doctors to change their recommendations from “bone marrow transplantation” to "dry chemistry". But, unfortunately, the insidious disease returned. Now Yuri needs effective anti-relapse therapy and bone marrow transplantation to defeat blood cancer. But Yura has a strong allergy to Asparaginase – a drug that is used to treat relapses of leukemia and which is available in Ukraine. It can be replaced by another medicine Ervinase. But it is not sold in Ukraine. Only abroad. 1 package of Ervinase costs 6000 USD.

We managed to get one bottle for Yura and the therapy gave a positive result. However, for further treatment of this drug is not now. The clinic Bambaino Gezu in Rome is ready to take Yura on treatment and to perform a bone marrow transplant. Total cost is 158 000 Euros. It is necessary to go as soon as possible because in Ukraine the therapy unavailable for Yura.

We plan to collect UAH 650 000 on UBB to make an advance payment and Yura quickly went to the clinic. The remaining amount, we expect the Ministry of Health will allocate. Parents recently applied to the Ministry of Health. But now the Ministry of Health has any money. If the Ukrainian Parliament allocates an additional budget, it will be not earlier October.

In September you could also help Yura by sending SMS to number 88007. This number exists to solve the acute problems of children and adults who are caught between life and death. Sending SMS to number 88007, 5 UAH from your account are transferred to the project "Silence and сancer". Details here.

Name: Yurii Shtrykul, 11.11.2003

City: Poltava

Diagnosis: acute lymphoblastic leukemia FAB-L2, 1 k, relapse, sensory hearing loss, secondary immune deficiency