Vera GELYUK 12 years old Malignant histiocytosis

The girl father's participated in eliminating the consequences of the Chernobyl nuclear accident, and the girl has been given the status of a victim of this disaster. Now Vera lives with her mother Olga and sister Marina.

Almost four years passed before Vera's disease was understood, although her condition grew worse and worse. This is the price our country has to pay for Chernobyl...
 

The diagnosis became known only in 2003: malignant histiocytosis. This means that only marrow transplantation can help Vera!

Now the girl is in Kiev, at the Scientific Center for Radiation Medicine (the "Chernobyl Center"). She needs marrow transplantation. Autotransplantation cannot be performed, because taking good stem cells from Vera is impossible. A closely related donor is also lacking, and so the donor must be found... Considering the girl's condition, the operation can be performed only abroad.

And time presses. The disease has already started to destroy Vera's bones and may soon affect her brain...

NEWS

July 27, 2004. Help for Vera Gelyuk was received.

Natalia Slichuk from Kiev, together with her friends and colleagues, collected some money for Vera. In addition to Cogitum, of which we have already informed you, other medicines (Puri-Netol, Noofen, Licised, Magne B6) were bought, and money for magnetic resonance tomography (100 USD) was paid. An anonymous contributor also transferred 700 USD to Vera's account and handed a birthday present for the girl.
 

July 16, 2004. Vera's operation is still delayed.

Olga Gelyuk says that they cannot perform the transplantation in Kiev now: it proved impossible to take a good stem cell for the transplantation from Vera. And an operation abroad will require a long time for arranging everything and a very large additional sum of money... The My Poruch volunteer group from Kiev is now helping Vera.
 

May 3, 2004. Vera Gelyuk is in the Crimea, on her "medical vacation"!

Less than a week ago, the following message arrived from Kiev:

Now about Vera: she and her mother are again in hospital since yesterday.
We are looking for a special wire for Vera's flowers; soon we'll find it. :-)
She can walk... well, more or less (compared to her condition during our first meeting)... and goes out supported by her mom. She is such a strong-willed child. Once she said to her mother, "Here is my start, and there is my finish, and God must take me through all of this." I wish everybody could believe like her...

Yesterday the Gelyuk came home for 10 days. Vera went out of the train herself, walked between transport stations on her way home herself, walked to the 2nd floor herself. Her unnatural plumpness, which was due to hormonal treatment, is now over.
 

April 26, 2004. Vera Gelyuk on the Kiev TV.

Olga and Vera Gelyuk participated in the "Ivanna Naida Show" on the "New Channel" today at 12 a.m. Olga shed a few tears but generally tried to be calm. Vera behaved fine. She smiled and told about herself. She made a present for the TV: beadwork flowers.
 

April 16, 2004. Cogitum for Vera Gelyuk has been bought.

Natalia Slichuk from Kiev promised to solve the problem with Cogitum, a drug that is necessary for Vera's treatment. She found some people who are ready to pay for this medicine and to help in transporting it from Moscow.

The previous 30 ampoules, which had been bought in March, were administered to Vera and turned out to be efficient. Her brain cells are gradually restored, and her memory is improving!

Today Olga Gelyuk received the first 30 ampoules transported to Kiev. This will be enough till the middle of May. By that time, 120 more ampoules will be bought.

April 4, 2004. Vera is feeling better, but she needs drugs!

From: Lyudmila Leshchuk
Subj: Gelyuk

Vera Gelyuk walks along the walls herself, about 10 steps. She can even go out, with two grown-ups, who hold her under her arms. She uses her wheelchair very seldom. Olga says that the child is incredibly strong-willed.
They need 150 more ampoules of Cogitum. Otherwise, it is useless to begin the treatment with this medicine: the course must last no less than 3 months, and 30 ampoules, which have already been bought, will suffice only for 15 days. This drug is not available in Ukraine now; it can be bought only in Russia.
Tomorrow Vera will return to hospital to start her next therapeutic block.

March 17, 2004. Vera Gelyuk: a letter by People's Deputy of Ukraine Leonid Chernovetski

Leonid Chernovetski learned about Vera during the donor-search information campaign carried out by a Kiev volunteer group. He got into contact with Vera's mother and found out which help is actually needed now. Olga asked him to help them with lodging in Kiev between therapeutic blocks and during a long course of supportive therapy after the operation and Vera's discharge from hospital. The Overcoming Mission supported this request.

Today Mr. Chernovetski sent an official letter to the Kiev Mayor Alexander Omelchenko, asking him to solve this problem. Copies of this letter were sent to our Mission and to Olga Gelyuk, who is now at the Center for Radiation Medicine.

March 9, 2004. Medicines for Vera Gelyuk.

Oleg from St. Petersburg bought medicines for Vera Gelyuk. These drugs are necessary to stop the destruction of bone tissues: 20 ampoules of Cortexin (10 ml) and 30 ampoules of Cogitum (10 ml). The medicines were delivered to Olga Gelyuk in Kiev by a courier.

February 29, 2004. Vera Gelyuk has got blood donors.

The problem of finding donors for Vera has recently become rather pressing. The girl has a rare blood group: AB. During several days, all Olga's attempts to find blood donors for Vera were unsuccessful. But then a new Kiev volunteer group joined in the search. After they arranged Internet mailing lists and radio announcements, almost a hundred donors responded! Moreover, this activity also concerned people in other cities: Olga has received phone calls from Zhitomir, Odessa, and even... from Canada. Those people were willing to give their blood or to help in some other way. Some high-rank officials were also interested. Two days ago, Olga said on the phone that some person from the UN Representative Office in Ukraine and one of our "people's deputies" had invited her to see them...

Now Olga asked the volunteers to find blood donors for two more children from the same department. That is, the mother of a gravely ill child has started volunteer work herself!

February 14, 2004. News about Vera Gelyuk.

The doctors are gradually preparing Vera for the transplantation. After the examination, it was decided that the operation should not be urgent: the girl's condition is relatively stable now, and she would better gain more strength before the transplantation.

Vera is feeling more or less good. Indeed, during the last several months, she was almost bedridden (or had to move in a wheelchair). And now she sits up on her bed, tries to stand up, and can move somewhere without a stretcher, just hanging on her mother's back.

She doesn't allow herself to get bored. She has made pretty beadwork flowers together with her mom and sent them to Simferopol.

January 31, 2004. Kievers help Vera Gelyuk. Natalia Slichuk, who had already helped our children, placed information about Vera Gelyuk on the Kiev parent Internet forum. Her topic concerning Vera evoked lively response.

Date: Jan 29, 2004 6:34 p.m.
Author: Drakosha
Subj: Let's help?

... I spoke to the girl's mother. Her name is Olga. The hospital is near the Zhitomirskaya subway station, pr. Pobedy 119-121, a ten-storey building, floor 2, Department of Child Hematology, ward 8.
Olga badly needs somebody to talk to. And moral support, yes. They are alone in a city that is unknown to them. Even if somebody brings home-cooked food for them, it will be a bit of help, too.
Dear girls! Those who live nearby! Let us help them in any way we can.
... I mean any help, not just money for the operation. Foods, toys and games for the girl (she likes jigsaw puzzles, even 1000-piece ones!). Or just visiting them and talking to her mother. It is very hard to be far from home with an ill child...

Date: Jan 30, 2004 11:57 a.m.
Author: NatashaK

I want to help!
I live near this hospital. I'll try to visit them on weekend and write here on Monday.

Date: Jan 30, 2004 12:58 a.m.
Author: AlenaK

Natasha,
Let us meet each other somewhere, maybe I'll give some money?

Date: Jan 30, 2004 3:16 p.m.
Author: adminforum

And ask her mother if we may place the information on our site. The exact sum that is needed, account number, other details. I think people will respond.
Yours respectfully, forum administrator
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January 22, 2004. Help from Orthodox Christians of Zurich. The senior priest and parish of the Voskresenski congregation of the Russian Orthodox Church in Zurich collected 2700 USD for Vera's marrow transplantation and transferred it to Vera's mother via Western Union.