Life went on as usual – Kindergarten, the first of September at school, first homework assignments, new friends, holidays, running around the yard, swimming in the sea, eating ice cream, and a boundless love for animals. Basically, Dima did everything a child his age is supposed to do. On long winter evenings, my son loved to invent intricate machines, space rovers, and robots with his Lego set. He could sit for hours dreaming up new, more advanced versions, then run around, showing them off to everyone, and reveling in the results. He dreamed of mysterious journeys, eager to see and discover something new, dreamed of world peace, and much more. But in February 2018 Dima came down with the flu and a very high fever, after which he developed a headache. After recovering, the headaches persisted, and we went to the doctors to find out the cause. After a CT scan, he was diagnosed with a terrible brain tumor, and it sounded like a death sentence. How could this be? Why? Why? Everything had been so good before!
Questions swarmed and cluttered my mind. It felt like everything had collapsed, like I couldn't breathe, like the ground was slipping away from under my feet, and life had taken on a dark gray hue. We were transported to the Odessa Regional Children's Hospital's neurosurgery department, where the doctors, after examining the CT scan results, determined that it would be impossible to completely remove the tumor because it was located in a hard-to-reach place, practically impossible to reach without damaging vital parts of the brain. This was the second verdict.
We went to Kyiv to the Ramadanov Neurosurgery Institute because Kyiv has new equipment with a depth microscope, and the chances for a better outcome were higher. The Kyiv neurosurgeons said they would do everything possible to remove the tumor, but the surgery would be extremely difficult due to its location. We did everything we could, but I knew we were powerless, so I left everything in God's hands, trusting completely in Him.
The surgery was a success! The doctors called me and told me everything had gone according to plan and that they had managed to completely remove the tumor! Everything was done without a blood transfusion! This is a first victory! Hooray! May God bless the doctors who have chosen such a difficult profession and are saving lives!
Then the difficult postoperative period began. My fever rose very high, and nothing could bring it down. The body couldn't control the amount of urine it was producing— by 7 liters per day. Then epileptic seizures began, and Dima had to be given anticonvulsants, which, in turn, caused hallucinations. These are probably common occurrences in neurosurgery, but for us, it was shock after shock. Finally, the tumor histology results came in. – It turned out to be malignant! Time passed, and the body responded to the treatment, albeit slowly, but it recovered. The severe postoperative symptoms subsided, and after a month and a half spent in Kyiv, we went home so that my son could fully recover and gain strength after the surgery for further treatment.
At home, his recovery progressed incredibly quickly, and just a month later we returned to Kyiv, to the children's hospital «Okhmatdet», where we spent a month and a half undergoing treatment in the radiation therapy department. Dima received 30 radiation sessions with accompanying chemotherapy. He tolerated the treatment well, without any particularly unpleasant symptoms. We remember with particular warmth the doctors in the radiation therapy department at «Okhmatdet». Dima calls them «kind doctors». A deep bow to the entire staff of this department! I think our entire healthcare system should be guided by them! A month later, we completed another round of chemotherapy in Odessa, and that was the end of the medication supplied to the Odessa Regional Children's Hospital through state procurement. Dima was prescribed chemotherapy rounds from 6 to 12 .
I'm asking all caring people to help us raise funds for Dima's further treatment, as we've exhausted all our funds during our stay in Kyiv. Our child's recovery is progressing well, but he needs to complete the entire chemotherapy course, with periodic brain MRI monitoring, to achieve stable remission and hope for a happy future! And I am confident that with God's help and the help of caring people, we will be able to overcome this disease and fully recover. Dima, for his part, is making every effort to achieve this and will continue to successfully build his robotic spaceships!
With deepest respect, Dima's mother.
For ways to help, see here.
