Valentina POLISHCHUK 15 years old Born June 27, 1989 Lymphogranulomatosis (Hodgkin's disease), RELAPSE Valya's photographs

Valya Polishchuk has been living in Crimea since her birth. And she was born on July 27, 1989.

Two years ago, she learned of her serious diagnosis: Hodgkin's disease, that is, cancer of lymph nodes. This diagnosis is severe but not hopeless. Child oncological diseases are mostly curable now, at the beginning of the 21st century. And lymphogranulomatosis (Hodgkin's disease) is the most curable kind of cancer in children. After a long and hard treatment course, 95% of the little patients get rid of the disease!

Valya was unlucky: her case was among the remaining five percent. She had a relapse on April 29, 2004.

But this is not a death sentence. Contemporary treatment programs are often successful even in cases where the first course was ineffective.

Valya is very, very grown-up. She knows everything about her diagnosis. Together with her mother, she participated in all conversations with doctors, discussed the strategy and tactics of her treatment. When she learned about the relapse, she said, "Well, time to take treatment and not to die." The girl is not disheartened. She still smiles merrily and believes that she will overcome the disease.

Even during her treatment, Valya goes on studying English. She wants to have full command of it in order to travel all over the world.

Valya's family consists of her mother Svetlana, younger brother Vitalik, granny and grandpa. They had to make a difficult decision together with Valya: where, in which medical institution she will continue her treatment. After serious thinking, the choice was made: the Russian Medical Radiological Center in Obninsk, a town near Moscow. This medical institution is unofficially called the "center for Hodgkin's disease."

Alas... Valya and her family are foreigners in the Russian Federation. And all medical services provided to the girl at the Center require PAYMENT.

The entire course of treatment, including Valya's stay at the hospital, the necessary medical actions, and the medicines, costs the equivalent of ca. 37,000 grivnas (6500-7000 USD). This sum is unthinkable for Valya's family. But they are not alone.

Since the moment when Valya got into a hematological department for the first time, Svetlana Polishchuk intensely and selflessly worked at the Mission, helping in the treatment of other children who were at the hospital together with her Valya. Can we leave them alone - them, who often forgot about their own problems to help other little children in trouble?!

The Overcoming Mission is trying to raise the funds for Valya Polishchuk's treatment in all possible ways: via direct contacts, newspapers, Internet. About 13,000 grivnas (ca. 2400 USD) has already been raised. This sum allowed the Polishchuks to pay for the first three courses of polychemotherapy and attendant expenses (their stay in Obninsk, drugs for the accompanying therapy). Valya started her therapeutic course at the Obninsk Radiological Center on June 4.

* * * Valentina is an obvious leader: other children gather around her, she gives them orders, and they obey. Little kids run after her as if on a dog's lead. When Valya is at hospital, all the "small fry" is at her ward. Sometimes she tells them to go away (after all, one must have some personal life!), but they quickly return. At the Simferopol hospital, Bogdan, an orphan boy of four, constantly fell asleep at Valya's side on her bed and called her his mommy... * * * Valya is very persistent in achieving her goals. She makes people around her live and move forward to their goals.

Dear friends,

I am writing to you in the most difficult days of my life. My name is Svetlana, and I have two children. My elder daughter Valya is suffering from Hodgkin's disease. This is cancer of lymph nodes. Her treatment requires great expenses. Please respond if you can help us and understand our grief. I thank everybody who will help Valya overcome her disease and stay alive!

Svetlana Polishchuk

October 29, 2004. Letter and help from the Crimean Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

Today we received a letter on the letterhead of Metropolitan Lazarus (Shvets), the Ruling Archbishop of the Simferopol and Crimean Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate).

"I heartily thank you for the information about the charity concert of July 29 in favor of Valya Polishchuk, a 15-year-old girl with an oncological disease.

My heart rejoices at the thought that this child's destiny touched the hearts of the Crimeans and the necessary sum for her treatment was collected.

At the great sacred place of our land, near the relics of St. Luka Voino-Yasenetski, I will pray for the health and wholesome healing of gravely ill adolescent girl Valentina, so that the great heavenly protector and powerful intercessor before God St. Luka would cure all her diseases through his miraculous help.

God bless you.

+ LAZARUS, Metropolitan of Simferopol and Crimea"

The same day, the Crimean diocese also transferred 500 hryvnias for the ill children to our account.
 

September 24, 2004. Help for Valya Polishchuk was received.

Valya is finishing her hospital treatment: this is her last course of therapy in Obninsk. 200 USD for buying the necessary medicines was transferred to her mother from Switzerland, and a Muscovite bought two packs of Polyoxydonium for Valya.
 

September 6, 2004. Help for the children was received.

D. from Moscow transferred money for the treatment of
= Ilya Sarafanov: 300 USD;
= Veronika Ostrovskaya: 500 USD;
= Valya Polishchuk: 400 USD.

V., also from Moscow, bought Wobenzym worth approx. 100 USD for Valya Polishchuk.
 

August 1, 2004. "CRIMEAN NIGHTS" CHARITY CONCERTS IN FAVOR OF VALYA POLISHCHUK WERE HELD IN SEVASTOPOL AND YALTA.

It is the first time that we managed to arrange such a wide-scale action. Performers from Switzerland participated in "Crimean Nights" classical music concerts. They were Maria Batova (soprano), who initiated and organized the concert, ans also Irina Zeitz (organ) and Andreas Schmidt (counter-tenor). On July 27 and 31, the concerts were held in Yalta, in the Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception of Virgin Mary. On July 29, there was a concert in Sevastopol, at the Officers Club of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. Other participants of the Sevastopol concert were the Madrigal Chamber Choir (Officers Club of the Russian Black Sea Fleet) and the Sevastopol City Chamber Orchestra. The art director of both musical groups is Vladimir Kim, Honored Art Worker of Ukraine, winner of the Prize of the Crimean Autonomous Republic.

The culmination of the Sevastopol concert was Gloria, a cantata by Antonio Vivaldi, which was performed by all its participants.

The Crimean Nights concerts were held under the patronage of Baron Eduard von Falz-Fein, a widely known philanthropist and patron of arts, an offspring of a Russian noble family, now living in Lichtenstein.

The Sevastopol concert was blessed by Lazarus, Metropolitan of Simferopol and Crimea, and received active support from the Sevastopol Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church.

All charity donations collected during the concerts amounted to 7732 hryvnias, which is approximately equivalent to $1464. They were handed to Svetlana, the mother of Valya Polishchuk, by Maria Batova and the Sevastopol Archpriest Vladimir Karpets. This money was used to pay for Valya's treatment at the Medical Radiological Center of the town of Obninsk (Russian Federation).

See here for the photographs of the Crimean Nights concerts.
 

July 29, 2004. An anonymous sponsor from Sevastopol provided 300 hryvnias (approx. 55 USD) for the treatment of Valya Polishchuk and 100 hryvnias (approx. 20 USD) to buy medicines for Veronika Ostrovskaya.