Dzhamaletdinova Milana

The fund got a letter from Olga Nikolaevna Dzhamaletdinova: “Dear Sir/Madam, I’m the mother of Milana Renatovna Dzhamaletdinova, date of birth: 10.01.2016. Our family has a great problem.  In August of 2019 my daughter felt bad, her body temperature reached 40, so we called an ambulance. The doctor examined her and palpated her stomach, and then strictly recommended us to do an ultrasound. Without wasting any time, Mila’s grandmother took her to diagnostics, and I stayed at home with my younger daughter. And then we got a call that turned all our lives upside down! Our girl had an oncological disease! My three-year-old child had a horrible diagnosis — CANCER!!!

 I didn’t understand back then how many challenges our daughter will have to go through, how much pain, how many tears, and how many days of feeling very sick the future had for my child. One of the best oncologists of Volgograd city was on duty that day — Sergey Vladimirovich Kaplunov. He thoroughly read the conclusion and test results, and explained that we had to prepare for a long treatment that will last for half a year or maybe a year. It came as a shock to us! It would be an understatement to say that the ground dropped away under our feet. I was very scared because I had two other children! My youngest daughter was only a year old then, and my son was 11. Starting from that day my mom, who is retired, had to care for the children completely on her own. A few weeks before Milana got sick my husband and I got divorced. I understood that Milana needed me more than anyone else! The hospital became a second home to us: we had to do many tests, anesthesia procedures, puncture procedures, surgeries. Then we found out that the cytogenetics of Milana’s tumor was bad, meaning her being in high risk group. It meant that the chance of recovery was very small, but was still present! Intensive treatment started: six very hard to endure courses of chemotherapy, high dose chemotherapy, stem cells transplantation, 20 courses of radiation therapy.

 Currently we continue our treatment at the Federal State Budgetary Institution National Medical Research Center of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology named after Dmitry Rogachev in Moscow, one of the best medical centers. We’ve already completed seven months of very complicated treatment, and I want to hear the doctors saying that my girl is healthy and can return home, but the board of physicians decided that Milanochka is in critical need of immune therapy”.

 Every year 6-8 children per 1 million of children population are diagnosed with neuroblastoma. It is a malignant neoplasm of the sympathetic nervous system. Neuroblastoma can develop according to several different scenarios. It can develop into a benign tumor, it can heal on its own and disappear, but it can also grow in such forms that are affecting the whole systems of organs, bones, and bone marrow. The results of cancer treatment in children in our country are very good. Little patients are successfully healed even if they have to undergo intensive therapy.

 Currently the most effective method of immune therapy is the use of specific monoclonal antibodies. To continue treatment, Milana needs  beta medication, infusion solution at the rate of 10 mg/m2 per day for 10 days. The total dose per course is 100 mg/m2 (20 vials). 5 courses of this treatment are planned.

 The medication is not registered in Russia. Procurement of this medication from abroad and its delivery is extremely expensive. Milana has come a long and difficult way to fight the disease, and now the life of the girl depends on the opportunity to undergo immune therapy, which serves to full elimination of cancer cells. The cost of the medication is extremely high. The family does not have such funds, so Milana’s health depends on us now!