Gazihan meets us in the corridor of the Hematology Institute with a slightly sad smile. He is a tall, slender, nice-looking young man. And you can see that he is very tired. "Just from a drip, even from two," he explains. - But that's okay, let's chat." He pulls his mask up higher, but you can see in his eyes that he is smiling.
He begins a story about himself from high school. For many years the boy was a serious soccer player. He played on different teams at home, moving from a children's league to a youth league. The day began with a jog (at the same time he was engaged in the athletics section), and ended with training on the field or in the gym.
School was coming to an end, but Gazihan could not decide where to go next. He realized that his athletic age was short, so he wanted to get a profession that would be with him for many years. For a time of reflection he chose military service. After spending a year there, he returned home with a mature plan - to prepare for the law department of one of the universities, simultaneously resuming training. And on one of them he fainted. Blood tests given immediately afterwards showed a terrible diagnosis - "acute lymphoblastic leukemia".
Immediately chemotherapy began - from May to November 2020 three courses were conducted. And in December the doctors came to the conclusion that Gazihan needed a bone marrow transplant, without it there would be no recovery. Luckily, his mother was suitable as a donor.
The transplantation was a success, but six months after it was performed, the doctors had to diagnose a serious complication - PTCA (transplant versus host reaction). Gazihan's skin and intestines were affected.
He needs the drug ruxolitinib (Jakavi) to fight this problem. It successfully fights PTC, but it is used according to clinical guidelines ("off-label") and not according to the prescription, so there is no way to get it for free. And the cost of it for Gazihan's family is unaffordable.
We are collecting money to buy medicine for Gazihan. Let's help him to cope with this disease, to return to a full life, to his studies and favorite soccer!
"The disease has given me a lot of rethinking, maybe I have not yet realized the whole truth of this life, but the foundation has already been laid, and that is the most important thing. I'm 22, and in fact, my whole life is ahead of me. The main thing here is faith, patience, and hard work.
