Tanya Marycheva

Tanya is the youngest and most beloved child in a large family. Before her illness, she was an active and cheerful girl. In December 2018, a nurse at the kindergarten noticed that her eye enlarged slightly. The parents took the child to the polyclinic the same day, thinking that conjunctivitis was beginning. After a check-up, the doctor prescribed a blood test, which revealed high leucocytes. Tanya was urgently sent for examination. An MRI scan revealed a formation behind the eye orbit. The same day, the little girl was hospitalised.

" The doctors at home couldn't identify the diagnosis for 4 months. They found another tumour on the pleura of the lung. They never understood whether it was a metastasis or a separate tumour. During these months, Tanya underwent three surgeries, and they took pieces of the tumour. There were different diagnoses, about five of them, from lymphoma to sarcoma. Tanya's condition was getting worse. The tumour was pressing on the orbit and compressing the lung. The doctors, seeing the child's condition, started high-dose chemotherapy. Tanya fell into deep aplasia and could not eat or drink for 21 days. It was terrible!" - recalls Svetlana, Tanya's mum.

Through volunteers, the parents contacted the Dutch institute and transferred pieces of the tumour there. The institute's specialists were able to select the chemistry that helped Tanya. The girl underwent more than 10 courses of chemotherapy and multiple radiation therapy. After a year of treatment, the parents heard the cherished words: "Your child is healthy! Remission!"

The little girl returned home, began recovering, and went to kindergarten. A year later, cancer struck again. They found blasts in her blood. Tanya was diagnosed with acute myeloblastic leukaemia and blood cancer. And this time, only a bone marrow transplant could save the girl. Treatment had to begin immediately. Doctors gave her a course of high-dose chemo. Because of severe side effects, they cancelled the second course and sent Tanya for a bone marrow transplant. Dad became the donor. The transplantation was complicated. Her pancreas, intestines, and lungs failed, and her skin was damaged.

It took 6 months to recover. In December 2021, Tanya was allowed to go home for a whole month - it was a real happiness! In January 2022, after a puncture, it turned out that there was minimal residual disease. The doctors said,  it was not a relapse yet, but a pre-condition, and it should be treated with light chemotherapy. The whole year 2022, the girl was on treatment. And on the New Year holidays, the little girl was released home. After returning to the clinic in January 2023, examinations showed that the disease was growing, and the chemistries were dropping - that is, the donor cells were no longer working.

"It took a month and a half for the doctors to decide what to do. They suggested high-dose chemo and a second transplant from her dad. We realised that Tanya could not survive another treatment. They suggested returning home for survival or carrying out targeted chemotherapy as long as the organism would have resources for it. We were desperate. Salvation came from Israel. Doctors at the Sheba Clinic offered treatment followed by a bone marrow transplant from a 100% matched unrelated donor. But this required huge funds, which we do not have. We are grateful to the people who cared enough to support us. With your help, we were able to start treatment. Thank you very much!" - Svetlana, Tanya's mum, is grateful to all the helpers in the fundraising.

Now Tanya is undergoing treatment in Israel. Complex therapy is ahead. We believe that our girl will cope, will be able to overcome the disease and will return home. We wish her a lot of strength and patience.

We would like to thank everyone who supports and helps our beneficiaries. Thank you for your responsiveness, attention and support, for not turning away from seriously ill children in difficult times. You have a truly golden heart and a pure soul. Happiness to you and all blessings!