Thanks for raising money

Thanks to all wonderful people who helped raise money for Anastasia treatment.
here are the names - Ian, Anna, Diana, Li, Lena, Stella, Matt, Leslaw, Raisa, Irena, Uriy, Kinga, Alex, David, Mira, Lynn, Philip, Agata, Beata, Angie, Rhonda, Tim, Lori, Joyce, Inesa, Carlos, Magda, Tim, Maria, John, Dana, Victor, Debby, Mike, Olga, Jan, Elvira, Guzel, Dilyara, Irina, Masha, Valeria, Eugenia, Elena, Lyudmila, Margarita, Natalia. Also Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic in Memphis donated some money.

Update on Anastasia Treatment

Anastasia just started receiving the second block of chemotherapy. It's a stronger course so it will last only 4 days. She runs a high fever as a response to the blood transfusion. Overall her parents are very tired but hoping for better.
Thanks to everybody for all your help.

Another Heartbreaking Story

When it rains it pours. It's like hearing a word for the first time, and then hearing that word over again shortly afterwards.

A friend involved with us in raising money for Anastasia found another site for another young girl names Anastasia, who also has Leukemia.

The link above is a direct link to an article on her site. It is yet another heartbreaking story of a young girl stricken with Leukemia. It is also an eye-opening account of the horrible medical conditions at the "Best" clinic in the Ukraine, Okhmatdet. Okhmatdet is also where our Anastasia is receiving treatment.

Over $100 In Donations So Far

Wow! We've already raised over $100 in donations so far! We would like to mention those people whom have donated, but without consent, we fear we might violate someone's privacy. If you've donated, or are planning to donate, and you would not be opposed to being mentioned on this site, please contact us and let us know. Otherwise, we will refrain from mentioning any donor names on this site.

Here's what the PayPal account looks like so far:

We'll be sending the money back to the Ukraine on Saturday. We've debated about sending the money now, given that it is so desperately needed, but we're trying to minimize the money wire fees as much as possible, so we've decided that we'll simply send the weekly totals back to Ukraine every Saturday.

THANK YOU so much to those who have donated! May your kindness and generosity be repaid to you many times over.

As soon as we have any updates regarding Anastasia's condition, we will post the updates here.

Lastly, please tell everyone you know about this site. It doesn't matter if anyone wants to donate $5, $10...it doesn't matter. ANY AMOUNT is crucial to ensuring that Anastasia receives the medical care and attention that she deserves.

PLEASE HELP US SAVE ANASTASIA'S LIFE.

Official Medical Diagnosis

Here is the official medical diagnosis. I will be posting a translation of this document as soon as I am able to get it translated.

Click on the document image above to view a larger version of the document

Latest Update For Anastasia

This was sent to me today by a family member in the Ukraine:

Anastasia’s diagnosis is ACUTE MYELOID LEUKEMIA, first acute period, high risk group.

Right now she is in a hospital in Ukraine. Since April 23, 2008 till May 5 she was under polychemotherapy by AML-BFM 2004 protocol (it was a remission induction chemotherapy). Now she needs to wait for some improvements in her health condition and after that she will go through postremission chemotherapy.

After both courses of chemotherapy all the tests will be repeated and if the result of chemotherapy is poor she will need a bone transplant surgery.

Unfortunately the chemotherapy is the only thing that hospital provides.

All the side effects treating drugs, even gloves, IV solutions parents have to buy on their own and nurses are not help at all.

Anastasia’s mother has to do all the nurses work by herself.

PayPal Account Now Active

We have finally completed the confirmation of the PayPal account. We are now prepared to accept donations for Anastasia's medical expenses. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to email us. Thank you in advance for your compassion, generosity and support for Anastasia.

Letter from Anastasia's Mother

Below is a letter sent to us from a friend of Anastasia's mother. It was originally written in Russian, and I had a Russian co-worker translate it for me.

I’m writing now and appealing to everybody on behalf of my friend, who has been staying for many days at the department of intensive chemotherapy of the Ohmatdet children’s clinic. She does not even have the time to get a swig of water… and trust me, I don’t mean it in an allegorical sense. As it usually happens, disaster comes to our homes from an unexpected direction… even though, how is it possible to expect disaster at all… a few days ago their 4-year old daughter Nastya was diagnosed with myeloid leucosis (to put it simply, some kind of blood cancer) … I don’t think I need to write about what the feelings of my classmates and friends (Lena and Yura Drachuk) were at that moment … you wouldn’t want to hear such news even in a nightmare … It took only a few days to knock over everything that was traditional and stable in their life, and to start the countdown and fight for the kid’s life.

I understand that I’m writing about something that is often shown on TV, printed in newspapers… it’s just that I preferred not to pay attention to it before …

But now, when a real and very familiar tiny kid lies, wrapped in IVs, expecting to get “chemicals” for 11 days in order to kill practically all of what is alive inside, just to stop the illness, I started to look differently at life and its values. I ask myself from where this fragile girl-mother, several days without sleep, gets the strength to clean up the place 4 times a day, wash and dress her daughter, measure her blood pressure and body temperature, write down when and how much water she drank, when and how often she attended the bathroom, prepare the food right there in the microwave, check what medicine, what pill to give and when – because our nurses, it appears, are under no obligation to do any of it; because our “classy” hospitals, which are (according to TV) well funded, can’t even provide the bare necessities, when the same nurses ask – are you here for the first time? Get used to it! You have to do all of it yourself! But, the most difficult part is to look into the eyes of her 4-year old, who does not even understand what happened … how to explain to her that they are locked inside, away from fresh air and sun for at least half a year; that even her Dad is not allowed, because he could bring an infection; how to explain why her stomach, legs and arms hurt, why she is not allowed to eat at all - eating is not allowed during chemotherapy, and Nastya gets it 24 hours a day. Nastya endures it all, she just cries silently, and says “Mom, wipe out my tears, please” – to which I just want to cry and howl myself.

Believe me, I write this all not to call for your pity – it’s not needed, I don’t believe people who say that “someone else’s pain smarts”- only your own pain does. But, I do believe that there no such thing as someone else’s children… and they need no pity, just help, normal human support and help, when, you know, you go out for lunch, and the change – 10 cents, 2,5, 10 dollars, you can put on their account. The sum is not important, just the warmth of your soul and the kindness of your mind.

I’m not a mother myself yet, and I don’t know if I was able to convey to you that silent and desperate cry of the mother who’s losing the most precious in her life – her child. No, I am not a mother, but motherly instincts exist in every woman, which is why I am addressing to you - to you who know the joys of motherhood: don’t just remain indifferent.

My friend - she is strong, she will endure it. I am certain. Because, she is a Mother! She will do all that is possible and impossible for her child!! She will endure everything! But, trite as it may sound, besides her desperate fight and prayers of relatives and friends, they need money for medical treatment. Yes, now, besides everything else, Nastya’s life depends on a few pieces of paper, which is usually called money, but whose price is the kid’s tears and pain.

Nastya Drachuk is waiting for, and will be grateful for, any help.

Contact phone numbers (All numbers are for Ukraine):

• Yura (Father): +380979461283
• Galina (Godmother): +380673389417

Anastasia Drachuk

My name is Chris. My wife's name is Iryna. Iryna and I live in Chicago, Illinois. Here in Chicago, we have a friend, Jara (pronounced "Yah-ra"), who has a cousin, Anastasia Drachuk, who lives in Kiev, Ukraine. This is Anastasia pictured on the left. Anastasia is a beautiful, vibrant 4 year old girl. Several weeks ago, she was diagnosed with the ALL form of Leukemia. Her mother is not able to afford the related, overwhelmingly expensive medical costs, and the quality of free medical services in the Ukraine does not equal the level of care and treatment required to battle Leukemia. Anastasia's mother has asked our friend living in the US to try to raise money to enable Anastasia and her mother to afford the necessary costs of treatment for Anastasia.

We are asking for ANY donations from ANYONE in ANY amount. 100% of all donations will be sent every week to Anastasia's mother via Western Union. We will not deduct the Western Union money transfer fees, or any other processing costs, from donations made to Anastasia; we will pay those fees ourselves.

Shortly, we will be posting a link to a PayPal account that we will setup to facilitate the donation process. If you are reading this, and are considering making a donation, but are worried that this is not a legitimate request, we would be happy to provide anyone with additional information substantiating out cause. To anyone that is considering making a donation, but does not want or understand how to use PayPal, please email us and let us know how you would prefer to make a donation to Anastasia.

Please, please help us raise money for Anastasia. She is young. She can beat Leukemia. Please help us prevent lack of money prevent Anastasia and her mother from conquering this disease.

If you have any questions or concerns, please email us.

Thank you.