In addition to being brothers, Oleg and Denis Tambovtsev
have one more thing in common – they both suffer from cystic fibrosis. Tambovtsev's are the only family in Kazakhstan with
two kids suffering from this disease. We are asking for your help in raising the money for Colistin, antibiotic that the older brother,
Oleg, urgently needs.
As it happens frequently in the countries that do not have clinics and doctors specializing in cystic fibrosis, Oleg and Denis
were diagnosed too late. As a result, they didn’t receive necessary treatment in early childhood, and for a while disease progressed unchecked.
The older brother, Oleg, was sick since he was born. In early childhood, he was diagnosed with numerous viral respiratory infections. When he was
five years old, his doctors thought he had asthma, and started treating him for it. Despite the treatments, his condition was deteriorating - by May
2009 a 9-year-old Oleg became so sick that he was bedridden, unable to sit or walk. He weighed only 26 lb, had constant shortness of breath and back
pain and developed bedsores. At that point, doctors in his native Kazakhstan were unable to help him. Tatiana and Dmitry, boy’s parents, decided to
seek help for their child in Ukraine. In Ukraine, the doctors finally made the correct diagnosis - cystic fibrosis.
Here is what his Mom Tatiana writes: "My child has almost died, he was not expected to survive even a couple of days.
Only after three months at the hospital in Ukraine he was able to enjoy life again, and stopped telling us words that terrified us: "I am tired of
living like this. If they can’t help me, let them at least save my little brother..." Our youngest child, Denis, was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis
in Ukraine at the same time. Faced with that devastating disease, we felt completely alone. Just eleven years old, my son is excluded even from
most school activities as even laughing causes shortness of breath and cough. As a mother, I can’t stand just watching my children slowly fading
away. Doctors at the Department of Pulmonology of Institute of Pediatrics in Moscow, Russia are willing to treat our boys, but as the foreign
citizens we have to pay for the treatment ourselves. Unfortunately, we don’t have the money to pay for hospital stays and medications. This is why
I am writing to you and hoping for the kindness of strangers. Please, help me to save my children!"
And here is what Oleg wrote to us about himself: "My name is Oleg, I am 11 years old. I am from Aktobe, Kazakhstan. Our city
looks better each year, there are beautiful boulevards and a President's park. There are four people in my family - mom, dad, my five-year-old brother
Denis and I. My brother and I are good friends with him, but sometimes we have some disagreements about who will put the toys away or who will be first
to use the nebulizer. I love him very much. Our school specializes in English. I like going to school, but unfortunately I have to study at home most
of the time. I am in the 5th grade now. Many of my teachers come to my home. Every year the classes get more interesting. My favorite subject is Math.
I am a good student and try not to miss any lessons. Apart from school, I like computer games most of all. I like remote-controlled toys, encyclopaedias
and educational computer games. I want to be a computer programmer when I grow up.
Doctors in Moscow oversee my treatment, but it is my Mom who has to manage all my daily treatments. Twice a year we have to travel
to Moscow so that doctors can run all necessary tests and develop a home treatment plan for the next six months. I do my breathing treatments through
a nebulizer seven times a day, three times in the morning, once in the afternoon, and three more times in the evening. I do physical therapy to keep
my lungs free of congestion. I take 27 pills each day and get daily injections of Heptral IV injections in 14-day courses. Once I am finished with
injections, I have to add an extra pill to 27 daily ones. My biggest dream is for my brother and me to be healthy, and for all of the kids in the world
who suffer from this disease to be cured.”
As there are no doctors specializing in treating cystic fibrosis in Kazakhstan, Oleg and Denis are treated by specialists from
Institute of Pediatrics in Moscow, Russia. The younger boy, Denis, who was diagnosed at 3, is doing quite well. But Oleg is deteriorating rapidly again.
His lungs are infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection that can destroy them if not treated immediately. Oleg still has a chance to beat it.
His doctors in Moscow determined that his infection is not resistant to Colistin. Oleg needs a three month long course of treatment with Colistine,
1 ml twice a day. That is a total of 180 bottles of medication for the course of treatment.
Tambocev family has asked many Kazakh newspapers for help in raising money for their kids’ treatment. Parents of children affected
by cystic fibrosis in Moscow occasionally send them medications that are not available in Kazakhstan. Several times people of their native city Aktobe
raised money to help cover the boys’ treatment. Tatiana and Dmitry also sought help from Russian charitable foundations. Pomogi.org has covered the
cost of hospital stay in Moscow for both children. Advita has provided 100 bottles of Colistin for Oleg. Unfortunately, they are unable to cover the
cost ($2000) of the remaining 80 bottles. And if the treatment is not completed, it will not be effective.
As it is often the case for families with severely ill children, the boys’ Mom Tatiana is a full-time caregiver for her sons, managing
their daily treatments. The family survives on a single income and children's disability payments which do not amount to much.
The state provides only several medications which children with cystic fibrosis need: Pulmozime, Creon, some antibiotics and Heptral. The family has
to pay for all other medications, as well as for hospital stays in Moscow out of pocket. They are asking us to help pay for Colistin for Oleg. He needs
this drug to save his life. Please, join us in helping this little him!
