Tamara KOTOVA 15 years old Acute myeloid leukemia Receives treatment at the Hematology Department of the Kherson Regional Children's Clinical Hospital

Oxana Kotova, Tamara's mother:

I am writing this message in hope that you will help us. Tamara is my only child. She has been a lovely and talented girl since her early childhood. At school, she had only excellent grades up to her seventh year. She loves singing and dancing, and she is also very good at drawing and swimming. She has always been so bright, our best hope!

But suddenly she had high fever and was taken to the isolation hospital on June 1, 2004. After the blood tests, she was transferred to the Hematology Department of the Kherson Regional Clinical Hospital. The doctors immediately called for me and told the terrible news: Tamara is ill with leukemia. I thought my heart would break and life would stop, but it was necessary to summon all my strength and to fight the disease.

In several days, the results of the tests arrived from Kiev: acute myeloid leukemia. It meant that we must go to Kiev, because such diseases are not treated in Kherson. But doctors in Kiev did not want to take Tamara for treatment, because her condition had already become very grave. Her platelet count was 9000 instead of 200 thousand; she had bruises, burst blood vessels, nose bleedings...

But then our doctor managed to convince specialists from the Kiev Center of Motherhood and Childhood Protection, and they agreed to treat Tamara. However, they warned us that the treatment would be long and very expensive. We had no idea that it would be SO expensive! We borrowed 15 thousand grivnas (ca. 3000 USD), but this sum was just a drop in the bucket. There is no more money, and we have finished only the first block of chemotherapy. Long treatment and marrow transplantation await us in the future. We need enormous sums of money and cannot get them anywhere.

It is horrible to understand that your child's life is vanishing before your eyes. I want to ask everybody who reads my letter: please help us. Please give us just a little, just a tiny drop if you can! In the same way as life-saving medicines get into Tamara's veins: drop by drop...

Toma hopes for recovery very much. She says that she is ready to bear anything in order to stay alive. We will pray for you and for your family throughout our lives. Thank you very much, and God bless you!
 

Medical certificate from Specialized Children's Hospital of Motherhood and Childhood Protection [in Russian]
 

August 21, 2004. Help for Tamara Kotova was received. V.R., our constant sponsor from Simferopol, transferred 3000 hryvnias (approx. 550 USD) to Kherson for the treatment of Tamara Kotova.