He was just 8 months old when he was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumour – anaplastic ependymoma. At that age he had his first operation and to date he has been operated on repeatedly. He has also received radiation therapy, chemotherapy and has had a bone marrow transplant. Despite all the efforts, his cancer is still not in remission. At the end of last year, Estonian doctors had to admit that they did not have any further treatment options to offer. As a last chance, Artjom’s family contacted Sergey Berezin Medical Institute in St. Petersburg to see whether Artjom could receive their radiation therapy, which is based on Cyber Knife technology. One round of treatment and travelling expenses to St. Petersburg cost nearly €3500. Towards the end of last year Artjom travelled to St. Petersburg with his mum and received his first treatment at the Institute. At that time, the cost of the treatment and travelling expenses were covered by the local council and the relatives of the family. Estonian Health Insurance Fund does not financially support Artjom´s treatment abroad because according to the Estonian medical consilium the Cyber Knife treatment is not medically recommended as the probability of the treatment being effective is less than 50%. The continuation of Artjom´s treatment now depends on kind donors as his family does not have the additional financial means needed to cover the necessary costs.
