Our family has experienced great hardship in the new 2020 year. On the evening of 1 January, Misha developed stomach pain. An ambulance was called, and he was taken to the Odessa Regional Children's Hospital with suspected peritonitis. The doctors were very concerned and insisted on surgery.
2 The surgery was scheduled for January. As we sat near the operating room, praying for our son to be successful, the doctors gave us the terrible news. – Diagnosis Peritonitis was not confirmed; things were much worse. – A tumor was discovered in the abdominal cavity.
Some time later, a preliminary diagnosis of – lymphosarcoma was made. We didn't want to believe it, because Misha was born a strong, healthy boy who rarely got sick. The massive tumor had already spread to the greater omentum, which had borne some of the weight. It had to be removed, along with the appendix. After a series of tests and analyses, we took the histology specimens to Kyiv for histochemistry. The wait for the lab's response was agonizing! Our whole family fervently hoped that the diagnosis would be wrong, that it was a mistake! Alas! The reality turned out to be cruel: the diagnosis was – desmoplastic tumor (an extremely rare form of lymphoma). Treatment for this tumor according to international standards has not been developed!
This type of tumor is poorly understood, and the prognosis is poor. Effective treatment is only possible abroad! Currently, the medical history and test results have been sent to a clinic in Israel and Moscow to determine the cost of diagnosis and treatment.
Our son's life aspirations – finishing ninth grade and entering technical school, his passion for sports, competing in karate, his first love – all of this can be cut short at the very moment when a teenager needs to start living!
We can't cope on our own; I'm on maternity leave with Misha's younger brother. My husband is the only one working, we don't have our own place, and we have no savings. Misha's biological father has a large family, including a young daughter with a serious illness. Our family is asking everyone who cares about the grief of others for HELP! Help save a life! If you can't help financially, please pray for our son Mikhail! – Sincerely, Inna, Mikhail's mother.
For ways to help, see here.
