Alex — that is what we call our only son, our joy, our pride and our long-awaited little boy.
We were getting Alex ready for nursery school, we had all the tests done at the clinic, handed in the papers to the nursery and looked forward to what lay ahead: being with other children, playing in a group, developing — at only 2 years old he already knows the whole alphabet, tells the basic colours apart, counts to 5 and knows which is his right hand and which his left. But our plans were not to be: the child developed a temperature, a cough began and an ambulance took us to hospital. Obstructive bronchitis led to the discovery of a nephroblastoma of the kidney in our child.
The doctors saw a poor urine test and decided that the child might have an inflammation. After an endless number of ultrasound scans at different hospitals and private clinics, we went to the Cancer Institute, where a full tomography was done under general anaesthesia. On the basis of the tomography a course of treatment was prescribed: chemotherapy — operation — chemotherapy.
The first block of chemotherapy takes 5 weeks. The child has already had four weeks of chemotherapy; we constantly have blood and urine tests done to monitor his condition. Another tomography was carried out before the difficult operation. If everything goes to plan — the chemotherapy, the test results, the child's condition and so on — the operation to remove the tumour will be carried out in a week. For that, donor blood has to be prepared.
Alex has blood group 3 positive. We found 5 donors with that blood, had biochemistry and hepatitis B and C tests done for all of them and paid 1700 UAH, but by the test results only one person was suitable. We hope this will be enough for the operation, but we do not know what lies ahead; if the child needs more blood, we shall need more donors. After the operation the tumour will be sent for histology so that further treatment can be prescribed: it will be either chemotherapy or radiotherapy together with chemotherapy. We are ready for a long rehabilitation, if only our little boy gets well!
Alex came through the first block of chemotherapy well, although his body has weakened, so he constantly wants to sleep, has become more fretful, more vulnerable, and his mood swings are pronounced. From time to time he runs a temperature. But we hope for nothing less than a full recovery!
Alex's news from his mother:
12. 02. 2012
We've completed eight chemotherapy cycles and are currently awaiting the ninth, but things are not easy. His blood counts are dropping incredibly sharply after chemotherapy, across all parameters. It's becoming very difficult to recover; he's even had blood transfusions several times in a row.
His hemoglobin is dropping again, and his platelets are more complicated; we're infusing them even more frequently, but the result is the same. Alex is more often attached to the «tube», as we call it, the IV. He's gotten more mature and often asks to go home. But as soon as Alex is disconnected from the IV, everyone in the children's ward hears. The joy is that our little one recharges us with his positivity. It was difficult, but we learned to use the potty. — This is a celebration for us. There are still 4 blocks to come, keep your fingers crossed for us!
22. 12. 2012
We completed our sixth and final chemotherapy block. Our white blood cells, as always, were the first to fail, even on the last day of the flushing, they were below 1. They gave us a strong injection, but it didn't help us much. — They dropped even further. Two days later, Alex received a blood transfusion because his hemoglobin had dropped. And today, a donor was separated because his platelets had also dropped significantly. It's all been difficult for the little one, and we've also developed a runny nose and a fever, but we're fighting the battle, taking antibiotics and following all the doctor's orders, as we need to have good blood counts by the New Year!
30. 11. 2012
Alex has now completed five rounds of chemotherapy. Since Alex's blood counts drop more and more rapidly with each round, his mother and son are forced to remain under the doctors' care at the hospital. The third round was difficult. His white blood cell count was zero, and due to his weakened immune system, Alex developed pneumonia in his right lung. Over the course of two weeks, he received 4 various antibiotics. The high temperature persisted for a whole week. With God's help, they began the fourth round, but his blood counts dropped. Alex was induced, given blood transfusions, and they were unable to leave the hospital before it was time to begin the fifth round. We did a drip, and his hemoglobin and white blood cell counts immediately dropped.
Today, Alex received another blood transfusion. His lips turned pink, and he became more active, which made us very happy. Let's hope the tests are correct and we'll be able to enter our sixth block on time. Wish us luck!
We wish Alex the best of luck and a speedy recovery!
07. 10. 2012
After the first round of chemotherapy, Alex had to undergo 14 radiation sessions, all under anesthesia. His body was straining under the strain; he was vomiting every day, was cranky, and didn't want to eat. His blood tests were also back. After 4 radiation sessions, we were admitted to the hospital, where they stimulated our white blood cells so we could continue the radiation therapy. We barely managed to pull through and completed the radiation therapy. On the last day of the radiation therapy, we began the 2nd chemotherapy course.
And so we've been in the pediatric ward for three weeks, as his body has become very weak and his hemoglobin levels have dropped, along with his platelets and white blood cells. The baby needed a blood transfusion to restore his blood count. We're hoping to start the third chemotherapy session in a couple of days. But there's good news: our Alex has learned to recognize geometric shapes: circles, squares, and ovals. He loves educational videos with numbers, letters, and colors, and he even knows all the nurses, male nurses, and doctors by name, which really amuses the medical staff. He thanks everyone for cleaning his tube and blows kisses!
See receipt reports here
Assistance provided - 67 100,00 UAH
19. 02. 2012 Charitable assistance for treatment - 30 000,00 UAH
04. 02. 2012 Charitable assistance for treatment - 32 000,00 UAH
06. 12. 2012 Charitable assistance for treatment - 5100,00 UAH
