2012

Child Cancer Fund for Slava

Slavik (Slava) Voroshilov’s, 6 year old boy:  Neuroblastoma, cancer relapse

 Slava is a 6 years old boy from Nikolaev, Ukreine, who has been diagnosed with neuroblastoma at the age of 2. The first signs of disease appeared after repeated DTP jab. He suffered from high temperature and joint pain for two weeks until hematologist suspected leukemia. Bone marrow puncture showed unexpected result – neuroblastoma stage 4.

 From March, 2009 to August 2009, Slavik underwent treatment in Kiev and later in Gaslini hospital in Genova, Italy. After 6 months of treatment, he entered remission for a year and a half. Later, a regular checkup raised new suspicions for neuroblastoma relapse and he was sent to Kiev, where the diagnosis was confirmed. He then endured a long course of chemotherapy, which had ineffective results. Further, during chemotheraphy he became blind in one eye and suffered peretonitis, resulting in surgery to remove a portion of his intestines.

 For over a year, from October 2011 to December 2012, Slava underwent experimental treatment in Gaslini hospital, which was unsuccessful. In December 2012, he returned home to his family and friends.

 Right now his family has received offers from two hospitals: Harley Street Hospital in London, UK and Cincinnati Children's Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. The later has unique preparation involving the collection of stem cells, as Slava’s bone marrow has deteriorated.

 The bill from the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital amounts to 295,000 US dollars. Currently, the family needs to collect 250,000 dollars before 25 January, 2013 in order to start treatment.

 Let us help this wonderful boy!

 

2009

Slava Voroshilov is from the South of Ukraine – region that was one of the first to suffer from the Chernobyl catastrophe. The first symptoms of the disease appeared right after the second DTaP vaccination that Slava received in January, 2009. The boy dragged alone his leg and complaint about strong pain in joints. During the following two weeks he had a constant fever – 99.5 F in the beginning, 100.5 later on. Initially his physician was inclined to the probability of complicated form of acute respiratory disease, but steadily raising fever and lingering character of illness made her revise the diagnosis. The boy went through series of tests and a majority of diseases that are characterized by high fever were excluded. One of the last specialists who checked him was a hematologist. On suspicion of leukemia Slava was sent to Kiev right away.

Tests of his bone marrow revealed strikingly unexpected result – stage 4 neuroblastoma.

The boy underwent through numerous and thorough medical tests. Kiev professors couldn’t determine the exact location of the tumor. Recently the family brought the boy to Moscow for a procedure of scanning in an oncological center. Still Moscow professors couldn’t find out where the tumor is located. This is a rare case that after several committees reviewed the boy’s case both in Kiev and Moscow institutions the major tumor is still impossible to locate.

Presently the boy is coming through the fourth block of chemotherapy in Kiev Institution of Cancer. Parents wrote numerous appeals to clinics all over the world. As of today there is only one clinic that finds it possible to provide successful treatment for the boy – Mount Elizabeth Hospital (Singapore).

Doctor Lee from the Singapore clinic has experience in successful treatment of neuroblastoms. After a though study of Slava’s case records the doctor made an assumption that the tumor is located in the lymph nodes of the mediastinum. In his practice he confronted such cases in the past repeatedly. Thus as of today Mount Elizabeth Hospital is the only one chance for the boy. The doctor is ready to make full and complete checkup of the boy with the following treatment. Mount Elizabeth Hospital has presented an approximate bill for about US $150 000 (S $212 000), which includes checkup, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and following auto-transplantation.   

Slava’s parents – an ordinary Ukrainian family – has very limited income in the family, raising two children and the mother taking care of the boy in the clinic with no possibility to work. But the parents, a group of volunteers have already begun raising funds for little Slava. We are working very actively and determine to use all available resource to raise amount necessary for Slava’s treatment. We hope that the clinic will agree to send an invitation for the boy when a half of the required amount is paid.

We ask you to make your contribution to saving life that potentially has a good chance to survive. In comparison with adults’ cancer, children oncology is particular by the fact that it is easier to rehabilitate children’s health, make them come back to normal life. But in most cases timing and money are crucial. At the same time in the world of newest achievements and success in children’s oncology, cancer and childhood must not be compatible.

We’ll be ready to answer any of your questions. Also, I am enclosing case records of Slava, official letter of Mount Elizabeth Hospital.

We’ll be looking forward to hearing from you.

Translation from Ukrainian and Russian into English