Alisa – Stephanie was born on July 2nd of 2010, a lovely, happy and playful baby girl. She was surrounded by love and affection of parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts. She used to be a healthy and very well-developed baby girl, for her age, until one day….
The winter passed, spring came and we were looking forward to visit Alisa’s grandparents in the countryside.
She was growing every day and one week after Easter she got up on her baby legs leaning upon her baby bed. Soon after she caught a slightly cold and the doctor’s diagnosis was sore throat. Her throat was fine after one week of treatment, but she had swollen eyes and blocked nose.
We went to an ENT doctor specialist, then the pediatrician suspecting some kidneys problems recommended more tests. Medical tests were shocking: Alisa was suspected of acute lymphoblastic leukemia. We couldn’t believe the medical tests results…we were hoping it was a mistake….
Donations: bank transfer accounts:
BCR – LEI: IBAN RO03RNCB0318041394420001
BCR – EURO: IBAN RO96RNCB0263041394420010
Holder Lazăr Ovidiu Florin
Alisa needs urgent transplant with stem cells
The next day, Alisa was hospitalized in Fundeni Clinical Institute where after bone marrow aspiration the acute lymphoblastic leukemia diagnosis was confirmed.
The treatment began and it is very aggressive: blood tests, marrow aspirations, infusions, catheter insertion, blood transfusions, new people around dressed with medical scrubs confused Alisa who seems not to understand what is happening, why is not everything as before.
After the first week of treatment the news are not very well: body did not respond to prednisone treatment, so we got even more worried. Chemotherapy is starting in the following week and the test results are surprisingly good: blast cells from peripheral blood disappeared. The following week we found out that Alisa has T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, categorized as high risk because of aberrant immunological phenotype and diagnosis bellow one year age.
In the following months Alisa is continuing chemotherapy treatment and we do not know when we get back home again…The first months pass very slowly, but the fact that the disease is in remission gives us hope.
Alisa’s body barely handles the firsts treatment sessions of chemotherapy and post treatment periods of aplasia are the most difficult ones, because of fever, infections and mucositis. INTERFANT 2006, the protocol received by Alisa is very aggressive and the baby girl is getting prolonged bone marrow aplasia symptoms which are more and more difficult endured by her baby body.
After these three difficult months lived in the hospital, as the disease was in remission, the doctor decided to release Alisa and her mother home for the following two weeks until the next chemotherapy session.
Back home again, Alisa recovered fast: she started to eat normally, being again the happy and full of live baby girl we used to play with when she was healthy. The two weeks spent home passed very fast and we had to go back to hospital for next chemotherapy session, which proved to be very painful for her.
Alisa’s life is going through critical times: she has been having high fever symptoms for two weeks as well as mucositis symptoms and abdominal inflammation and pain. The doctors gave her low chances to live at some point, but Alisa is a strong baby girl and with God’s help she survived.
It was the moment when we realized that her chance to live was to continue the chemotherapy treatment abroad. As the aplasia symptoms lasted long and Alisa got restored hardly her immunity, any delay in starting next chemotherapy session would have increased the risk of disease recurrence.
We didn’t have too much time to look for a hospital and wait for approval and so we got to San Mateo hospital, in Pavia, Italy, where Alisa is continuing the chemotherapy treatment.
The doctors from San Mateo indicate as best and probably only potentially curative treatment, THE ALLOGENIC STEM CELL TRANSPLANTATION from a compatible donor. The costs are high and we must quickly find the financial resources to save Alisa’s life!
