The fight against leukemia made friends forever

At the age of just 5, Mirela and her family learned what the terrible disease leukemia means. But this cruel misfortune did not rob the little girl of her childhood, because shortly after, on the hospital bed, the little girl made a friend, with whom she learned to fight and how to get through hardships more easily.

“It was a Friday, September 4, 2020, a day that I will never forget. Our little girl was feeling very bad and we went to Bălți to do blood tests. When the results came, we were urgently sent to Chișinău. We had no idea that she could have this disease, or we didn’t want to believe in such a thing…”, says Anna, Mirela’s mother.

At the Mother and Child Institute in Chisinau, the little girl and her mother stayed for four days, then they were transferred to the Oncology Institute, Pediatric Hematology department, where the little patient immediately received the necessary medical care.

 “And now I remember how the nurse came into the room and while I was talking to another mother, she spontaneously told me that Mirela had leukemia, after which she closed the door,” says the girl’s mother.

BAD NEWS ARE COMING UNEXPECTEDLY

Unfortunately, many parents unexpectedly find out the news about their child’s illness. They feel powerless and helpless in the face of the disease, as Anna says: “I was speechless and could not even move, it was like I was a statue. I called my husband and then I started crying, I could not see anything around me.”

The little girl's mother claims that when she entered the Pediatric Hematology ward, it seemed like the most terrible place on earth. "I was so scared then and my eyes filled with tears when I looked around me. It was very difficult for me when they had to prick her to put a catheter in her and connect her to the machine," Anna says.

SUPPORT MATTERS A LOT

„M-am liniștit când am vorbit cu medicul nostru, doamna Rodica, un medic dat de la Dumnezeu. Ne-a fost alături mereu, ne-a susținut și ne-a încurajat. Am știut că totul va fi bine  dacă voi fi și eu puternică și mă voi arăta tare în fața copilului”, își amintește mama Mirelei.

Along with the little one, many other children with leukemia were hospitalized in the ward, along with their mothers. During that time, Anna became friends with them and her stay in the hospital was much easier.

“It helped me a lot that I ended up in a group of very friendly and courageous mothers. Their support mattered a lot to me. With their help, I got through each trial more easily and the days spent in the hospital were more beautiful and peaceful. Their optimism was contagious,” says Anna.

THE ILLNESS BONDS FRIENDS

Mirela felt better and started to get in touch with children in the ward. The little girl made friends especially with Vladuț. The illness made them stronger and they became inseparable.

“She had a very close connection with Vladuț. A very beautiful and sincere friendship began between two children fighting for their lives. They were too young to understand what disease they had and how dangerous it could be. But the friendship between them made the days spent in the hospital more beautiful and interesting. They spent a lot of time together, playing different games…”, recalls Anna.

Vladuț successfully finished the treatment and went home, but a friendship was formed between him and Mirela forever. Even though the little girl could not write yet, they talked through video calls and voice messages and spent time together via phone. Now that Mirela is in first grade and can write, she not only talks to her friend every day, but also writes him messages.

The close bond between these two little ones shows us that the fight for life can be easier if you have someone by your side, regardless of age. Treatment here, at home, in the Republic of Moldova, is successful, and recovery is faster, when children make friends, speak the same language and go through the same difficult moments.

The"Life without Leukemia" is with children with cancer and helps them overcome the disease more easily!