Anna KHARCHENKO 10 years old (born October 11, 1993) Acute lymphocytic leukemia, RELAPSE

An article about Anna was published in the Kievskie fakty (Kiev Facts) newspaper on April 23, 2004. In this article, her mother tells about the urgent problems in her only child's struggle for life. The courage and tenacity shown by this family deserve deep respect and admiration. They are trying to find a sum that is incredible for us: 40,000 EUR for the operation and 15,000 EUR for finding a donor.
 

Anna courageously bears all the asperities and pains and retains the optimistic hope that she will be saved. This small girl, too wise for her age, said, "Mummy, cancer is not the end, we'll fight!" Please be merciful and help the Kharchenko family. Maybe you will give Anna a happy chance for recovery!   Yours respectfully, parents of children with oncological diseases from Konotop and Sumy

October 26, 2004. Good news about Anya Kharchenko.

This is what Irina K. (Minsk) wrote about the condition of Anya Kharchenko:

WBC 4.3, RBC 3.2, hemoglobin 119. As to the platelet count, there were different opinions: 102 automatically counted, 70 counted by man (lab assistant). In any case, the platelets are not Anya's own but infused. However, Anya "holds" them much better, that is, doesn't lose them so fast.

The formation of granulocytes has begun [Info: Granulocytes are leukocytes that contain granules in the cytoplasm. They are formed in the bone marrow. According to the staining of their granules by dyes, they are classified into basophils, neutrophils, and eosinophils. They protect the organism from bacteria and toxins.], and pigments appear.

From now on, Anya will have no lavages and no droppers. She will also do without two antibiotics. She had spinal puncture with Methatrexate (i.e., "chemotherapy"). A trial sternal puncture was canceled; the doctor said, "No need to torture the child; it is already clear that the bone marrow is working as is should." This means that the exploratory puncture will be made on the 90th or 100th day.

Immunoglobulin will be administered tomorrow. If all goes well, our girl will be transferred to the "ordinary" hospital department.

Subjectively, Anya has some problems. She complains of headaches and severe nausea. There was even vomiting yesterday. But the doctors see it all philosophically. After her diagnosis and merciless treatment, such feelings are like nose itching for a healthy person... just thinking about it makes you feel even more pity for the child.
 

October 11, 2004. Anya Kharchenko's birthday!

Now, at the 41st day after the transplantation, Anya Kharchenko turned eleven. Today she has WBC 3.5, hemoglobin 120, platelets 40.

For a detailed account of Anya's treatment (in Russian), see the corresponding topic of the Andrei Kuraev Web Forum.
 

September 13, 2004. Engraftment of the donor marrow has begun!

The head of the department hosting Anya Kharchenko informed us that white blood cells appeared in her blood (0.4). This means that the transplanted bone marrow has started to work!

Here is one of the e-mail messages for Anya:

Anya, please recover quickly. I am Zhenya, I'll soon turn seven. I live in the Moscow district of Zhulebino. I wish that you never more fall so gravely ill. I pray for you. I wish you to study well at school when you feel all right. I am a good pupil. I have just started studying at school. I have got a cat, its name is Racket. I wish you to find many friends at school. I like cello music, and I am learning to play the cello myself. My cat is very funny. I invite you to visit us. I think you will recover soon. I think you will like it here.
Zhenya.
 

September 10, 2004. Ambisome for Anya Kharchenko.

A week after marrow transplantation, a fungal infection started to threaten Anya Kharchenko. Liposomal Amphotericine B (commercial name Ambisome) was urgently necessary.

And again, the help came in time thanks to visitors of the Andrei Kuraev Web forum. First one ampoule was bought in Moscow, than 29 more in Zurich. After buying the medicine in Switzerland, Father Oleg, a priest, instantly flew to Moscow with it. There Irina, who came from Minsk by car, met his flight in order to transport the ampoules to Anya's hospital...
 

August 31, 2004. ANYA KHARCHENKO HAD DONOR MARROW TRANSPLANTATION.

Anya Kharchenko had her operation today! The doctors in Minsk started the transplantation at approximately 3:30 p.m. Moscow time. Yesterday Anya summoned the strength the smile and even to speak to her mother by phone from behind the window of her isolated sterile ward. The doctor-in-charge says that Anya's condition is adequate to the treatment.

Almost three weeks of the so-called crisis period are now to come.
 

August 15, 2004. FUNDS FOR ANYA KHARCHENKO'S OPERATION HAVE BEEN RAISED!

Members of the Kuraev forum alone raised 13,000 USD for Anya Kharchenko. 2000 EUR was received from the Amsterdam-based Save a Russian Child Mission. There were also charity actions in France and Germany. As a result, although this had seemed improbable, the ENTIRE REQUIRED SUM IS NOW AVAILABLE.

Anya and her mother had confession yesterday and received communion today at the St. Elizabeth Convent in Minsk.
 

16.07.2004. Anya will soon have her operation.

Many people have participated in raising funds for Anya. This happened thanks to Irina K. from Minsk, a participant of the Andrei Kuraev Internet forum. On May 19, she opened a topic entitled "Help God give a chance to little Anya" at this forum. Unfortunately, here we cannot list all the events that have happened since then. So we present only the last message from Irina:

Our Anya is now at home, in Konotop, on supporting chemotherapy. She received communion on Sunday. On the whole, she is feeling more or less good, except that she has a slight stomach-ache and constant nausea, which does not recede even at night. Everything else is all right, thank God. The child is having her vacation and chatters on the phone like a canary.

We are going on with preparations for Anya's operation. To prepare for it, Anya will return to the hospital on July 29. Since the last information bulletin (June 25), a total of 4467 USD was received for Anya in one or another form.

God bless Felix, Oleg, Dmitri, Irina, Natalia, Ruslan, Evgeni, Irina, Marina, Andrei, Alexander, Olga, Maxim, Anna, Pavel, Vladimir, and all other contributors, whose names You know Yourself.

The total sum donated to Anya by participants of the Internet forum from May 19 till now is 12,875 USD. Thank God for everything and everybody.

I gradually print the "picture tale" about a pony and a hare drawn by Ivan Khokhlov from the forum. The pictures are very beautiful, and we agreed with Anya's mother that we'll glue them to the window of Anya's post-operation ward, just to raise her spirits. Only special medical personnel will be allowed to enter, and only through a special gate system. But, at the same time, Anya will be able to look at her mom for the whole day through this huge window with pictures and to speak to her by phone. So this must be OK. :-)

Anya still needs our help, our prayers above all, but money as well. So, I want to ask everybody who can help us: please write to us by irina-krp@yandex.ru or phone by +375-296-760-516. Muscovites can get in contact with Elena Shirokova, +7-916-826-91-69. And please don't forget to inform me of the sums you have transferred to the bank account or in cash. All the banking details for the transfer are given here, in this topic of the forum.

God bless and save all of you. We sincerely wish you good physical and spiritual health.

With love and gratitude, Irina
July 15, 2004