Life in a SOS regime

When the doctor said that Uliana had a malignant tumor, the whole family was shocked. Her mother couldn’t speak. Everybody got scared and panicked. But the girl did not give up: “Mom, I came to the doctor to return home healthy again. I will be healthy again! My name means “happiness”...”. However, Uliana cannot finish treatment. The last stage is an outpatient chemotherapy treatment. Unfortunately, these medicines are very expensive but they have to buy them on their own. The family doesn’t have any more money.

For a month the girl needs at least 7500 UAH for chemotherapy without taking into consideration concomitant medication. For this family it is an unrealistic amount. Now only the father works and he receives a salary of a little towns.

Uliana’s case is typical of this disease. On August 28, 2012 the girl broke her leg. For eighteen months her leg was in plaster. Then she had to train her leg. At the end of February 2013 Uliana noticed a swelling of a pea size on her left foot. The girl didn’t have complaints, so the family didn’t apply to the doctors thinking it was the consequence of plaster. In late May the swelling grew rapidly. Uliana and her mother referred to the surgeon of the local hospital. Then it was all like a nightmare: examinations, hospitals, doctors, rushing from one specialist to the other, buses, trains...

On July 10th the girl came to the Institute of Cancer. As the mother said they started living a life in a SOS regime. At the Institute the girl underwent 4 cycles of preoperative chemotherapy. Then she was operated on and underwent 5 cycles more of postoperative chemotherapy. At the same time Uliana had a 21-day course of radiation therapy.

Main treatment has been completed. And there is so little left to go. Please help to make this final step for recovery from this terrible disease!

Name: Uliana Myroniuk, 14 years old

City: Sevastopol

Diagnosis: rhabdomyosarcoma