Africa in the stomach

The life of the family Patuzer turned over twice. For the first time - when the youngest of their daughters, Dasha, found a huge tumor in the stomach. The second time - when her older sister, Katya, found leukemia. After chemotherapy, Katya entered remission. Neither “chemistry”, nor radiation therapy, nor operation helped Dasha, but she dreams of visiting Paris and continues to believe that her braids will grow again

Help a house with a lighthouse help

Two years ago, Dasha from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky dreamed of going to first grade soon. Dasha’s mother wrote her daughter in the first “B” - to the teacher, to whom all the guys from her group in kindergarten were going to go to. The only thing that bothered a cheerful and active girl with two thick golden braids - her stomach had been ill for several months. She refused her favorite sweets, quickly lost weight and quickly tired.

Portrait of Dasha in her room photo: Maria Ionova-Gerin for TD

According to Mom Dasha, Oksana, doctors in a local children's clinic claimed that the girl was growing and stretching. The same was said in a private clinic, where alarmed parents turned to check again.

“I kept telling everyone that six -year -old children cannot lose weight for no reason,” recalls Oksana, “but no one listened to me.”

Then Dasha’s parents went to the surgeon in the regional hospital and persuaded the doctor to examine the child. The doctor felt the girl’s stomach and dumbfounded - and when he came to, he ran to his colleagues. After several tests, doctors informed the family that Dasha had a large tumor, most likely, malignant, and advised to go to Moscow. Oksana and Dasha flew away on the same day.

Dasha Photo: Maria Ionova-Gribin for TD Dasha walks very rarely and only in deserted places, since her immunity after “chemistry” is greatly reduced by the photo: Maria Ionova-Garbin for TD

The metropolitan doctors diagnosed the embryonic rabdomyosarcoma. By that time, the tumor was already the size of a two -liter jar and moved the rest of the organs so that the six -year -old Dasha barely breathed. In the MRI picture, the tumor resembled Africa, which is depicted on maps and globes, and took the place not functioning from the birth of the kidney, which Dasha was removed even in infancy. It was dangerous to do the operation, so the girl was prescribed chemotherapy and radiation therapy in order to first reduce the tumor. During therapy, Dasha was worried only because her hair falls out. But even when there was nothing left of them, Dasha continued to believe that she would recover soon, the braids would grow and she would fly to Paris. How long I dreamed: even curtains in her room - with the Eiffel Tower.

Two diseases

After eight courses of chemotherapy and 16 radiation of Africa, Dasha did not decrease as much as the doctors hoped. Nevertheless, the operation was carried out, but it was not possible to remove the tumor entirely, chemotherapy was still needed. Before the operation, the family was warned - if the next “chemistry” does not help, Dasha will no longer be treated. During the new course of Dasha’s therapy, it became worse, sepsis began, the girl fell into intensive care, heart failure developed.

Dasha Photo: Maria Ionova-Gribin for TD

“In Moscow, we lived in an apartment from the Kamchatka fund, in which there were several more families with sick children with us. When the specialist said in the hospital that there was no chance, I don’t even remember how it reached that apartment, but just fell on the threshold. Other mothers understood and supported, it was real psychological help, and in the hospital the psychologist at the session only cried from my story, ”Oksana shares. Dad girls, Andrei, was then still in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky with the eldest daughter Katya. She studied at a pedagogical college and tried to transfer to Moscow, and Andrei issued dismissal from the service and was looking for housing in the capital, so their relocation dragged on for several months.

In Moscow, Dasha was still a course of radiation therapy, and this treatment ended. Immediately after the last irradiation, Oksana called the eldest daughter Katya and said that she was not allowed a counselor to the camp due to poor tests at the medical board. In the evening it became known that Katya had leukemia - and her parents already knew where to go.

Dasha says: “I'm just like a bride” and is spinning in the curtain photo: Maria Ionova-Gribin for TD Dasha says: “I'm just like a bride” and is spinning in the curtain photo: Maria Ionova-Gribin for TD

As a result, eight -year -old Dasha and eighteen -year -old Katya ended up in the same hospital. Parents had to learn to take care of them at the same time: to catch Katya during fainting, to give a handful of Dasha’s tablets by watch and most importantly, to support both of them and protect them from fears.

Katya successfully passed chemotherapy, remission began. Part of Dashina’s tumor, which could not be removed, is still stable, but experts are not ready to give at least some forecasts.

New life

The parents of the girls, Oksana and Andrei, for a long time could not overpower themselves and turn to the hospice, although help was needed: physical, and medical, and psychological. The word "palliative" scared away, it seemed to them that contacting the hospice means to surrender. Everything changed the call of a neighbor in the House of Morozov’s hospital.

“Her son was gone, she herself got into the hospital with a heart attack, but still she called me and said that she would immediately contact her coordinator from the“ house with a lighthouse ”and they will help me,” recalls Oksana.

An hour later, Oksana called: they asked to leave a request on the site, and a little later - to come to a personal meeting.

“We came to the office to fill out the documents, and two days later we brought a whole car with equipment, medicines,” Andrei smiles. “There was a lot of everything, it barely accommodated at home.”

Dasha Photo: Maria Ionova-Gribin for TD

Now people from the “House with a Lighthouse” come to the family three times a week: a doctor and a nurse, a psychologist and a game therapist. Specialists from the hospice even contacted doctors from the clinic to help issue prescriptions for all medicines.

Dasha was still able to go to school: sometimes teachers come to her, sometimes she goes to classes and communicates with classmates. She had friends in the yard and at school, and recently a friend from kindergarten flew to visit with her family for a week. The parents of the girls, finally, were able to get out of the house more often, go to the theater and circus with them.

The children's hospice “House with a lighthouse” helps cancer patients and their families not be alone with a terrible diagnosis. In addition to pain relief and special medical support, the hospice provides families with psychological assistance. A whole team of Hospice employees works with each family: their main task is to help in everything, teach families to live in a new reality and appreciate the time spent together. But help is needed by the hospice: so that all families can get medicines and support for the necessary specialists in time. And this is possible for each of us.

Yesterday, January 3, 2020, after severe chemotherapy, Dasha Patrumeter passed away. Next to her in the hospital were the closest people.