Alexander Shtilik
age 16
Acute myeloblaste leukemia

NEWS:

1 July 2003
The operation Alexander has passed successfully. Within the next few days he has to pass inspection for confirmation of remission (the 100-th day after the transplantation). Already twice after transplantation Alexander came to Crimea. For the first time he come hurrying at the end of April, having found out about relapse of illness of Olga Bavarovskaja.
Again he has arrived during the celebration of the Day of the Recovered Child.... It was amazing to see, how they have entered the hall together - grown up and thin Alexander with the hedgehog of newly growing hair on his head, and just rising from under dropper Olga - in a snow-white dress and a wearing a wig...

28 April 2003
On March 12 Alexander underwent the bone marrow transplantation in the Kiev Regional Children's Oncological Clinic. The analyses, carried out on 15-th day after operation, have shown that the adoptation of a bone marrow goes perfectly and without deviations.
Alexander is released from hospital to home - Sevastopol for a vacation till May, 10. The important control day after operation is the 100-th: after three month it will be possible to determine with the greater confidence a postoperative condition of the boy.

8 February 2003
5 February - a Birthday of Alexander. He's now 17 !
Besides the main illness, several side "sores" trouble the boy: strong maxillary sinusitis, stomatitis, pneumonia. But at least the bone marrow analysis has shown the partial remission, which is good. The treating doctor was satisfied with results. The blood transfusion is discontinued: own leucocytes are risen to 0,4. Alexander already takes a walk in a corridor (still connected to a dropper). He's mood is very optimistic.

21 January 2003
Alexander is brought to the Kiev's hospitaal for a bone marrow transplantation. We all are awaiting for the results...
Alexander Shtilik, 1986 of birth. In Hematology Departament of Crimean Regional Children Hospital Alexander has got in June 2000, in a very heavy condition. The diagnosis - acute myeloblaste leukemia, one of the nastiest forms of leukaemia. Alexander was 14 years old. More than a year the doctors and his parents struggled for his life. He went through a full course of treatment including chemo- and beam therapy. Quantities and dozes of the medical products demanded for treatment of the child for this period, would suffice, probably, on rescue of life more then one adult person. Besides required preparations were strong and rare - and, accordingly, very expensive. The efforts and finances of the parents only would not suffice the treatment. The help of the doctors of Departament led by the Crimean children hematolog V.P. Usachenko and parental public organization "Overcoming", working at the departament together with The Departament of Health of Sevastopol.Relatives, friends, schoolmates of Alexander have naturally responded to a call for help. Some commercial structures helped, and at times even some strangers.Thanks to doctors and all who have come to help, Alexander has successfully finished treatments. However he continued to remain under the constant control of the attending doctor-hematolog. A cheeful, very active, mobile and sociable young man Alexander has put before itself the purpose - successfully to graduate his school and to receive an interesting profession. Due to character of the disease, after a chemo-therapy, oppressing immune system of an organism, Alexander had the full right to continue studying under the school program at home. However he has fairly considered, that the level of the knowledge received on such way will be insufficient. There will be isolation from the schoolmates... and Alexander has decided to start attending school from September 2001, having gone in 10-th class. Having by nature inquisitive mind and perfect memory, for one year of training Alexander has managed to restore all he has missed during his stay in a hospital. He not only has caught up the schoolmates, but also became by the end of 10-th class the one of the best pupils in a class. For this time he foung a great interest in work on a personal computer. Independently, and with the help of the senior friends, Alexander has quickly mastered computer engineering at a quite good user level. But the circle of his aspirations was not limited to it. He for a long time would like to learn to play on a guitar. Alexander begins to attend a course. Already in couple of months he played complex enough compositions on a six-string guitar, singing under own accompaniment.However terrible illness has not receded completely. An autumn of this year Alexander again appeared in Haematology Departament. The diagnosis is severe: relapse of leukemia. In this case only a bone marrow transplantation can rescue the child. And still it is necessary to find among relatives one donor, whose bone marrow would be compatible with Alexanders. Under preliminary analyses, such donor for Alexander can be his younger brother Vitja (1988 of birth). But to find the donor is only a part of a problem. Still it is necessary to find a clinic which will undertake to carry out such operation (in conditions of Crimea impossible). Bone marrow transplantation successfully enough can be carried out in Italy, Germany and Israel. However abroad similar operations cost huge money (50-60 thousand USD), which boy's parents do not have. At present Alexander passes a course of chemotherapy which is preparation for forthcoming operation. There are no alternatives to bone marrow transplantation for him. Simultaneously there is a search for people and organizations wishing and capable to help, organizational and financial in realization of operation in one of foreign clinics.They say, life - is invaluable. Yes, it is so. But in this case - there is a price, capable to rescue this invaluable gift. And this price is expressed not only in a monetary component, but also in time. This is a question of limited number of days; and each day of a delay reduces chances of success of operation. Therefore parental mission "Overcoming", Hematology Departament of the Crimean Regional Children Hospital (becoming for these years, in a literal sense, the second house for a boy), Alexander and his parents ask, ask to respond everyone who can really help to rescue life of the young man, who still can have the first love, the first kiss, the family, the happiness to be a father.


http://hematolog.vinchi.ru/english/deti/shtilik.htm (English)
http://hematolog.vinchi.ru/deti/shtilik.htm (Russian)