My name is Oksana, and I am a relative of Taras. I am reaching out to the international community, philanthropists , NGOs and corporate organisations on behalf of Taras and his family in Ukraine whom are pleading for your generosity in the attempt to raise this prohibitive amount of money to cover the cost of completion of cancer treatment.

Here is Taras's story.

 

"My name is Taras. I'm 23 years old. I am from Ukraine.

I was first diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2018. I have started the treatment in Ukrainian hospital and was fortunate to go into remission.

 

However, my battle against cancer was not over. In 2020 I was diagnosed with high risk Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). This type of cancer could not be successfully treated in Ukraine because there is no possibility to perform an allotransplantation - a Bone Marrow Transplant procedure where I would receive healthy blood-forming cells (stem cells) from a donor to replace my own stem cells that have been destroyed by treatment with radiation or high doses of chemotherapy. I had to go to the clinic abroad to receive this treatment. I am currently having chemotherapy in Turkish clinic Medical Park and awaiting for the allotransplantation that will help me overcome cancer and prevent it from recurrence.

 

Usually, and so was my case , such treatment was to be supported financially by Ukrainian government. Distressingly, while I was receiving chemotherapy in preparation for my bone marrow transplant in Turkey, the war began in my country on the 24th February 2022. Now there are millions of people who need financial and humanitarian aid and sadly, Ukrainian government can no longer provide funding to complete my treatment.

 

In desperation, I am turning for support overseas and hope that there are a lot of caring people who have capacity to help me win my battle against cancer.

 

I will remain in Turkey for the time being with my Mother, whilst my Father and Sister remain in Ukraine in uncertain and dangerous conditions which further compounds my distress and burdensome nature of my situation as they are neither able to leave Ukraine nor have capacity to fundraise locally in my home country.