The Marathon for Polina #SavePolinaBoyarko has started.
Good afternoon, my name is Hennadii Boiarko, I am the father of a little girl, Polina.
I remember very well the happiest day of our life, 8 August 2016, the day our little angel, our Polechka, came into the world. I clearly remember that range of feelings, being present at the birth, cutting the cord, the first cry, the first hugs. Nursery school, the first little poems and songs, wrapping the cat in a towel, the New Year party before 2020...
And, sadly, I remember well the most terrible day of our life, 9 April 2020. On that day an MRI showed a malignant tumour – neuroblastoma. On that day we realised that our life would never be the same…
For a long time our daughter could not be given a diagnosis. At the beginning of February, after a vaccination, Polia began to complain of pain in her legs. The doctor gave us a referral for tests. The blood tests showed a very low haemoglobin level. We were admitted to the 1st children's clinical hospital. We stayed there about a month. Then Polia was transferred to «Okhmatdyt». The child had no clinical signs apart from her knees hurting. Two weeks later, during an ultrasound scan, a growth was found. Further examinations confirmed what we still do not want to believe – neuroblastoma of the adrenal gland, stage 4, metastases.
From the middle of April we began a course of treatment at the National Cancer Institute in Kyiv. The first two weeks were a sheer nightmare. Polia was getting worse and worse, she was fading before our eyes. Our daughter simply lay there, her pulse reached 220 beats a minute, her blood pressure was off the scale, her blood counts were at their lowest. We were simply going out of our minds because we did not know what to do and could not ease her suffering in any way. After two weeks the child's condition more or less stabilised. After the 4th block of chemotherapy we had interim examinations (MRI) and received the first good news – the tumour had shrunk by almost 40%, and the tumour markers had fallen almost 10 times. But, unfortunately, at that stage the tumour was judged inoperable.
At present we have finished the 8th block of chemotherapy; repeat tests lie ahead. We very much hope the results will be encouraging. Polia has a good appetite, she is active and cheerful. But we understand that full recovery is still a long way off. Among the types of therapy needed to treat neuroblastoma are anti-GD2 immunotherapy and MIBG scanning. These are not done in Ukraine. We contacted several clinics in Europe and received an offer from the University Clinic of Cologne. The doctors offer a full complex of treatment, including the therapies named above. The cost of treatment was estimated at 380000 euros.
We belong to the category of «internally displaced persons», so-called «displaced people», and everything we had was left behind in that territory. Our savings and the help of friends and family have already been spent during this period of treatment. We go on raising money for treatment by every possible means, but we understand that on our own we shall not be able to raise the sum needed.
We appeal to everyone who cares with a request to help us raise the sum needed. I believe that the very happiest day of our life is still ahead! It will be the day when we are told: «Your child is completely well!»
Sincerely, Hennadii.
Take care of yourselves and of those close to you, especially the children!
For the ways you can help, see here.
