"My name is Natalya. My son Sasha Melnikov was born on April 8, 1994. Now he is eleven. He was born a healthy and lively kid, not too large, but very merry and curious. He went to a kindergarden and then to school together with other children of his age, and they always liked him for his kind heart. Not that he was very enthusiastic about schooling, but, being so quick-witted, he easily coped with all his studies.

Our troubles started on the eve of New Year 2002. Sasha had a spinal trauma: compression fracture of a thoracic vertebra. I don't know if this trouble was related to the other one, but our further ordeal was much worse. At the RCCH, another diagnosis was confirmed: lymphocytic leukemia.

And Sasha, after a life full of movement and merryment, became bed-ridden. He was on traction for four months, receiving chemotherapy at the same time. May 2002 was the first time when we were allowed to take Sasha home. He had to learn to walk again. However, the will to move, to rejoice, to smile at the sun, to laugh at all his difficulties never left him.

Sasha's supporting therapy ended in March 2004. We were so glad! Throughout spring and summer, we rejoiced at life and looked forward to the new school year. We planned his school days, discussed the learning conditions, argued whether he should go to school together with other children or continue individual studies...

But, on August 28, 2004, Sasha felt unwell. He had a pain in his back, fever, then a bleeding. I prayed to God, asking him to save us from a return of the same tragedy. But we had to go through one more ordeal. Relapse of leukemia. Again the hard days at hospital, again the days of expectations, again waiting for an improvement. Sasha was really depressed when he learned of his future treatment: the doctors insist that there must be not only chemotherapy but also marrow transplantation. Otherwise, Sasha may die.

Now our aim is to reach remission and to start the search and activation of a bone marrow donor at the German data bank. So, the necessary sum is to be raised.

The Help Group of the RCCH immediately offered us help in fundraising. They quickly organized telecasting of Sasha's story in the Zdorovye (Health) program of the RTR TV channel (February 13, 2005). Many people have already responded.

We, Sasha's parents and relatives, are impatiently waiting for the moment when the donor is found at last. And we are very grateful to kind, sympathetic, compassionate people who want to share our grief and help us save Sasha.

Sasha does not lose hope, patience and optimism. He wants to swim, play computer games, run on the grass, look at the sun and feel its warmth, just like all other children.

23.08.2005 Sasha Melnikov had unrelated marrow transplantation. Everything went more or less well. But one cannot say anything about the results for at least a month. Sasha's chances are not so good as we would like to hope, but still he is ready to struggle.

27.10.2005 Sasha Melnikov died. He spent the last several weeks at the resuscitation ward. He had unrelated marrow transplantation on August 23. His condition as to his main disease was regarded as very dangerous. The doctors understood all the risk of transplantation, but it was Sasha's last hope. Alas, the disease was stronger.
Sasha was our beloved friend. So optimistic, so interested in everything, so radiant. He turned 11 this spring.

Another patient of the Department of Oncohematology is Masha Gudimova. She recently celebrated her third birthday. The whole department congratulated her. Volodya Shishkarev (as always, with his synthesizer) came, there was singing and dancing in the hall, the little kids arranged dancing rings and tried to catch colored balloons.

One girl of seven, who arrived at the department not long ago, was surprised to see such joy among the children and asked, "How can they be so happy at hospital?" In future, she will also understand that this hospital will become a home for her for a long time. She will just live there and see both ordinary and festive days, both severities and joys.

And little Masha has known no other home in her life. All her three birthdays took place at the hospital. Masha has congenital leukemia.

Chemotherapy didn't help, and now Masha is getting prepared for marrow transplantation. Search for an unrelated donor has begun. The staff of the Serebryanyi dozhd (Silver Rain) radio station are helping to raise the funds for Masha's treatment.

A letter from Olya, Masha's mother:

"In May 2002, we came to the RCCH for treatment from the town of Starodub, Bryansk region. This region was affected by the Chernobyl disaster. Those who have never experienced anything like this will hardly understand how difficult our treatment is. Chemotherapy, which makes all blood counts decrease, which takes away the child's immunity and makes her completely unprotected, when even a running nose presents trouble for six months and an intestinal infection can just kill you. When the first, long-awaited tooth appears after your child turns 18 months and the first steps are made when she is two years old. When strangers who don't know about our troubles say that the girl is probably six months old - and she is three times this age. When a child doesn't know what hair is, when a face mask is something that is always with her...

It is so terrible when your only, longed-for, best-loved child just lies in bed and cannot move her hand or head, when her eyes express nothing...

People who have never gone through anything like this can hardly imagine how difficult it was for Masha's father to find a job in Moscow (in Starodub, it is impossible to earn money that would be sufficient for my and Masha's stay in Moscow). Or imagine that his first monthly salary in Moscow was 3000 roubles (a little more than 100 USD), while he worked as a loader for 12 hours a day.

My little kid loves drawing and listening when we read books to her. Her eyes look so smart! Just like any parents, we dream of a happy future for her. But will there be any happy future?"

We believe that it will be in spite of everything. We'll do all things possible for this.

Happy birthday, little Masha! Dear mother Olya, we wish you strength and optimism!

20.06.2005 On Saturday, June 18, at 1 a.m., the donor marrow for Masha Gudimova was received from Germany. The transplantation took place at 6 a.m. The doctors did not wake up the girl; everything happened in her sleep.
16.07.2005 Alexei bought Cancidas worth 129,000 roubles (over $4300) for Masha.
10.08.2005 Masha Gudimova returned from the Department of Marrow Transplantation to the Department of Oncohematology-16 yesterday. Engraftment of the donor marrow has taken place, and the little girl is gradually getting used to life outside her sterile ward.
15.09.2005 Masha has been allowed to go out. She is still very weak and cannot walk by herself.
17.11.2005Nine days have passed after Masha Gudimova's death. It is so impossible, so terrible and unjust, that we just couldn't write about it during all these days.
Everything happened quite unexpectedly. She was recovering after the transplantation more or less as she should. The donor marrow started working. There was periodic fever and manifestation of the graft vs. host disease, but they were within normal limits for the posttransplantation recovery period.
And suddenly Masha's kidney ceased to function. Acute renal insufficiency developed so fast that it was impossible to save the child.
Masha was a carrier of the Epstein-Barr virus. This virus is harmless for most healthy people, but it became deadly for a child without immunity.
Masha's short life was all spent at the hospital. The Gudimov family lived at the RCCH for three years. For all these years, the parents struggled for their child's life together with the doctors. For three years, only hope gave them strenght. They raised their little beauty and supported all other mothers at the department. Here, Masha was an angel for all of us. Now there will be one more angel in heaven.