5 year old Kiril in need of treatment

Kiril is five years old and lives in Dubasari in Transnistria, a breakaway province from the Republic of Moldova. Moldova is the poorest country in Europe and conditions in Transnistria are similar.

Kiril’s mother, a seamstress and her father, a taxi driver both earn a modest wage. At the beginning of 2017 Kiril’s health began to deteriorate, he regularly suffered from a high fever and his skin became blotchy.

The doctors in his local town were unable to offer him a definite diagnosis, nor could they offer any treatment. After the second baffling encounter with the local doctors he was sent to a bigger hospital in Tiraspol, a larger town one hour drive away. 

The hospital was able to diagnose Kiril with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL).

The little amount of resources and expertise in the hospital led them to transfer Kiril to the Cancer Institute in Chisinau, the capital.

Finally, after these confusing and time consuming attempts, Kiril was admitted to the children’s ward in the cancer institute after a confirmation of his life threatening condition of ALL.

In Moldova the severity of such poverty becomes apparent when closely tracking the hospital journey of a child suffering from leukemia.

First of all, the under equipped hospital in Trisaspol was unable to help. The Cancer Institute in Chisinau is the only place in the country able to treat leukemia patients effectively as they offer a separate ward for children.

Often patients are not referred to the larger hospitals in Chisinau due to political tensions between Transnistria and Moldova.

This can rob patients precious time and stop treatments beginning sooner. The issue of treatment adds great insult to injury for any Moldovan cancer sufferer.

Lack of funds and furthermore lack of access to good quality chemotherapy leave children similar to Kiril to desperation.

Some chemotherapies are donated through organisations such as Krebsallianz or Coram Deo, however the donations are not always readily available.

Families often have to shell out from their own pockets and buy the medicines from neighbouring Ukraine. 

Kiril’s family earn a small income and cannot afford the treatment but somehow they must come up with 1000 a month to give him the chance he deserves at a healthy life.

Nonetheless, his family has no option but to remain optimisitic. Kiril enjoys doing Lego and drawing.

Krebsallianz has helped the children’s ward recently with donations of medical amenities. This is where we need your help, support us to give Kiril the treatment he needs.

We believe nobody should suffer because they are poor.

Click here to donate online and give Kiril the chance he deserves at life.