Daniel Mădălin Răduță

We finally have an official estimate of the costs implied by the transplant in a medical clinic from Milano, which is the first one on the list of the possible destinations: 110 000 €!
Unfortunately, it doesn’t include the costs of the treatment of the eventual complications or of the additional necessary treatments. It would be rather difficult, because I have to run additional medical tests before deciding which donor is the best solution for me: my partially compatible brother or somebody from the international data bases. The most suitable treatments for my case are also rather difficult to estimate now. This is why the costs of the transplant could raise up to 150 000 €.
However, as soon as this amount of money is advanced to the clinic they are waiting for me!

Offerta trapianto per Raduta Daniel

A Tuesday morning. A little burdened. Madalin couldn’t start the new treatment cure yesterday. He has some really stubborn platelets. We open our e-mails and here’s what we find

…with this message:

“My daughter is 6 and a half years old. She saw me drawing a fairy yesterday. And she asked me for who it was. Then she wanted to know more. And in the end she made this drawing. “translated”, it’s about a boy and a girl who love each other and will forever love each other. And there are lots of hearts there, in the trees, in their hands, in the sun ”

There’s nothing more I can add. Actually there is one thing: I wish that our little boy, when he’s 6 and a half years old, will be able to draw mommy and daddy.

Thank you, Petra!

I just visited irongate’s site. Not for the first time. I’ve opened it many time this week. This time, though, something popped out. Above the banner that supports Madalin, there’s a picture that reads: opening gates. That is what I felt all this week. There’s no words for me to thank those who support our cause.

Tomorrow we have to go to the hospital. We hope that all blood indicators will be within normal range, and Madalin will be able to start a new phase of the treatment. But, believe me, we will go with more motivation and hope. Encouraged by gestures like the one of Mile Carpenisat, by Cristina Barzavan’s words, by this extraordinary campaign that our friends, the fairies, and all of you, made possible. I know there are many of you, and please forgive me for no nominating all of you, but I do think about you and I pray first of all for your health.

The word takes on new meaning when people I have never met rally for a person they don’t even know:

http://www.andreicrivat.ro/2010/02/05/licitatii-pentru-o-viata/

English translation (google translate)

The media campaign took off on Monday. And it has more impact than I have ever imagined. I will risk thanking first of all to the Fairies, though there are many other people involved who deserve to be mentioned. I hope they don’t mind. There will be a time when I’ll settle down and make a list.

I received so many encouragements, offers to help of all kinds, and I can only be optimistic when so many people are close to me. I am confident that we can overcome all obstacles and problems.

Because there are still problems to solve and things to do

• It looks like it’s not that easy to pay through PayPal. I will figure it out today.
• It’s very difficult to obtain the short telephone numbers for SMS donation from the operators. Aside the fact that large companies move slowly, it looks like there are no short numbers available.
• I was promised that the foundation I will work with will have everything ready to receive donation from companies. Soon I will upload the form and all the necessary details.
• I’ve made the last (I hope!) trip to the bank, to make sure everything is set for international money transfer.

Now it’s time to relax, because on Monday I start a new chemo session. Maybe the last before the transplant…

Once again… THANK YOU!

We went in to Violeta’s timidly, feeling almost scared. It is the first time in three months when we go out to a public place. After three months of trips from home to the hospital, it felt normal.

Not knowing who we were going to meet, we feel drawn to a table. We had no idea they existed, but there they were: not one, but seven fairies. Each one with an invisible wand.

We sit down, overwhelmed, not knowing what to say. Good thing they are joyful, cheery and loud, as fairies should be. Our fatigue and wariness magically disappeares.

I look at Madalin. He’s fine. We’re assaulted by questions and many excellent ideas. We try to take it all in, and the fairies make it seem easy. Even this huge amount of money seems smaller when I look at them. Still, we have a long way to go.

We exchange ideas; they tell us their many, smart plans. There are many people willing to help. There are good people in the world. I had almost forgotten that. Octavian Paler says: “I have learned that no matter how much you hurt, the world will not stop for your pain.” Still, there are people who care.

I am reading Mihnea Maruta’s blog post. The first thing I see is the picture. One of the dearest to my heart. With tears in my eyes, I want to hide and cry, but I keep reading. He’s right. I am overwhelmed by grief. Because nobody knows what will be.

All I know is that there are seven fairies and a lot of good people helping us. I hope God is protecting and guiding us from the heavens.

I look at Madalin. He’s tired. Two hours have past. We get up, and give thanks. Out in the cold air, I look up to the sky with thousands of stars. Please…

Thank you fairies and all of you! For your good thoughts, your donations, for everything.

Raluca

It’s been just a few days since the site came into existence and with it the fund raising campaign. The numbers (2300 unique visitors, 1250 supporters on the Facebook cause) as well as all your supportive reactions, questions and suggestions are giving me a lot of confidence in the future. Thank you once again! And thanks to those who got involved in organizing the campaign; I don’t, currently, have the energy to mention everyone and I don’t want to discriminate.

I have receive a few questions and suggestions to which I’d like to provide an answer here:

• There are two possibilities to get funds from the Romanian government for the operation: through order 50 and form E112. I’m not ignoring these possibilities. Quite the opposite; I have already started the procedures. Through form E112, however, the chances of obtaining something are slim given the procedure I require and the formalities through order 50 can take several months and nobody guarantees a positive reply. As such, I believe anybody in my situation would try to find other means to get the necessary money

• I found a Foundation willing to take over the sponsorships received from companies. In maximum 2 days I hope to get from them a stamped sponsorship form, in order to make the process extremely simple for the sponsor: after signing the contract, they can transfer the money without waiting for anything. Soon, all the details as well as the sponsorship contract from the Foundation will be published on the website

• I’ve started the procedures with the mobile operators to get special numbers for donations

• We’re working on the English version of the website. Specifically a technical solution. Sadly, I am the only one working “full time” on the website and I have very limited experience when it comes to web programming. With the help of my colleagues from BitDefender, I hope the English version will be ready very fast

• For those who want to wire from abroad: I have moved recently and I don’t know what address is associated with the bank account. I need to get by the bank tomorrow so this issue will be settled soon

• I know some of you want to put a banner on your website(s). Thank you! I believe that the person who volunteered for this has already started working on it. By tomorrow evening it should be ready

For now, if I wasn’t clear, you can donate in my PayPal account if you have a card that can make online payments, without having a PayPal account. Just click the “Donate” button and PayPal will ask your card details and process the payment.

I’ll wait for your comeback on danielraduta.ro for news! Don’t forget the RSS feed, the easiest way to stay in touch.

I’ll eagerly await more questions and suggestions!

I started receiving answers from abroad, from clinical facilities more experienced than our Romanian ones in the stem cell transplant field. Although I didn’t receive answers from all of them, doctors from two Italian facilities appreciated that the relapse risk is high based on the medical data and the disease evolution.
I was writing in a previous post that my doctor’s recommendation would be to not attempt a stem cell transplant. Still, he was hesitant enough about this and he accepted the Italian doctor’s opinion. I realized why: an oncology hematologist like my doctor is experienced in diagnosis and chemotherapeutic treatment of blood diseases. His field of expertise is not stem cell transplant; of course he knows about it and can state an opinion about the opportunity of a transplant. But a transplant specialist knows a lot more about this because he is directly involved in seeing the benefits and assessing the risks associated with this procedure on a lot of patients. That’s why the final recommendation about the opportunity of a transplant must come from a transplant specialist.
So I need a stem cell transplant. Unfortunately this cannot be done in Romania because I don’t have a compatible related donor. In many Western European clinical facilities transplants from partially compatible related donors are successful and the doctors may decide that this kind of procedure would be appropriate for me. If this can’t be done, they would search a non-related donor in international donor databases.
Now let’s get to the financial part of the problem. The costs of such a procedure are starting from 120.000-150.000 Euros in European hospitals. I’m not a business man nor do I have a highly-regarded job in the Romanian government. Our combined incomes have not allowed us to build a wealth of such magnitude. So, no matter how hard it would have been for me to ask for any help before I was diagnosed with leukemia in October 2009, I am now asking for help from anyone willing to donate any amount of money for helping my cause.

I have the confirmation that the medical report on my state will be reviewed by two doctors from abroad. They will analays if the bone marrow transplant is necessary after the first remission or contrary if risks would be greater than the risk of relapse (return of the disease).
After reviewed the case, my doctor’s opinion is that I would rather not have to do transplant now, especially because I have not a donor related. Let see what these two specialists will say since they have a lot of practical experience and superior expertise.
So … waiting for answers. The fact is that if the disease will come back (relapse), I will need a bone marrow transplant. I hope that, although chances were not great, will not return or will return after some new and more effective method of treatment will be set up.

What a joy to be home after a week in the hospital! Such a small thing, but with an enormous impact on my soul. One of the small things in life I always took for granted. And each hour that passes I discover another small thing that helps me see life in a warm light.
Such joys come from the people around me, who do not stop to amaze me with their support: my family, my friends, my colleagues from work, people I haven’t seen for years and everyone who has encouraged me through comments on my blog. Your sincere care and help, your good thoughts, are a great joy.