My story

My name is Anastasia. I'm 39 years old, a physicist, and the mother of a four-year-old girl. I have stage IV cancer, and I urgently need your help.

Since 2023, I have been fighting HPV-associated head and neck cancer. I've undergone major surgeries, chemotherapy, two rounds of radiation, and more hospital visits than I can count.

Unfortunately, the cancer keeps coming back.

Today, I have an active tumor in my mouth and a metastasis in my chest that has invaded the wall of my trachea.

If this tumor continues to grow, it could seriously threaten my ability to breathe.

Time is something I can no longer afford to lose.

Why I need Keytruda

I am being treated at TUM University Hospital in Munich, Germany.

My doctors are preparing urgent chemoradiotherapy to control the dangerous metastasis near my airway.

However, the cancer in my mouth cannot receive another full course of radiation because the surrounding tissues have already been heavily irradiated twice. Further treatment carries serious risks, and the remaining tumor may continue to grow.

This is why I urgently need systemic immunotherapy with Keytruda (pembrolizumab) — a treatment that helps the immune system recognize and attack cancer cells throughout the body.

My doctors have agreed to administer Keytruda alongside chemoradiotherapy, provided the treatment can be funded.

My German health insurance, Techniker Krankenkasse, is currently reviewing an urgent request for coverage.

But my cancer cannot wait for paperwork.

Why we need €50,000

One 200 mg infusion of Keytruda is estimated to cost approximately €5,000 for the medication alone.

Our initial fundraising goal of €50,000 is intended to cover approximately ten infusions, depending on the final hospital costs.

My husband and I had spent years saving for a home where we could raise our daughter. Instead, we have used our savings to finance my medical care, including a personalized cancer vaccine being prepared abroad.

It takes months to manufacture the vaccine, and any potential immune response may take additional time to develop. I cannot rely on it to control the immediate danger to my airway.

What I'm fighting for

I want to see my daughter grow up. I want more ordinary mornings with my family. I want to keep writing, learning, laughing, and living.

I am also writing a book about my cancer journey, full of science and hospital adventures.

How you can help

Any donation, no matter how small, will help us work toward making this treatment possible.

If you cannot donate, sharing this page would mean just as much.

Perhaps one day we will still buy that little house, but the time I lose now is something I can never buy back.

Thank you for giving me a chance to keep fighting.

With love and gratitude,

Anastasia ❤️