Updates

As we all know,Santa doesn’t forget good souls, and Claudia couldn’t have been absent from his list. And how could he have forgotten, with all his reliable helpers, so many warm-hearted persons having managed to gather in only two months what seemed in the beginning a huge amount of money,150.000 euro.... [read more]

CLAUDIA AFTER THE FIRST ROUND OF CHEMOTHERAPY

09.12.2009

Since it’s been a while that we haven’t had news and luckily I was able to visit Clau the previous weekend,I thought it best to share some impressions and Claudia’s messages for those supporting her.
In the photos you can see the dormitory where Claudia is living now and the view of Vienna from her window.
... [read more]

MESSAGE FROM CLAUDIA,NOVEMBER 25 TH

25.11.2009

Hello!
Dad has brought over the laptop and I’m writing with only one hand,the other one is busy.An hour ago I started the chemotherapy.I hope I won’t feel too bad,but we’ll see…everyone is kind,not all the personnel speaks English,but it’s ok,it gives me a chance to practice my German.
As I am writing,I’m also looking out the window…the view is spectacular…I’m on the 18th floor.For the transplant, they will transfer me to the 21st floor.You can almost see the entire city from here and in the night it’s breathtaking.... [read more]

GOOD NEWS!

20.11.2009

The past few days have been filled with tension.But today I have good news.After negotiating with the hospital administration,I managed to obtain a written estimate of the costs as well as the agreement to pay gradually.They insisted in making it clear that it is only an estimate that doesn’t take into account the possible complications that might occur and are bound to significantly increase the costs of the intervention,as mentioned in the document.... [read more]

URGENT

19.11.2009

I am writing from Vienna,where we arrived by train yesterday at noon,after an exhausting journey.A 25-hour ride is a bit too much even for a healthy person,let alone myself.The train arrived 3 hours and a half past schedule and, as a result,we got to the hospital too late,when everyone had already left.We picked up our luggage,made some phone calls and finally managed to find an accommodation.It was getting late and I felt tired.... [read more]

HELLO EVERYONE!

09.11.2009

I apologise for the delayed message,but I am still recovering after the biopsy.The pain is persistent and annoying .Some of the symptoms are back.
I don’t wish to go through my story once again.You are already familiar with it.I would like to write, however,in order to let you know that I find myself in a totally new position, where I am sharing all my experiences with you.I haven’t wanted to burden anyone with this so far,I haven’t desired to complain,as I considered it a problem for me to solve by myself.That has been the reason why I chose not to make people aware of the nightmare I was going through,until recently,when I realised I no longer had control over the disease.... [read more]

VIENNA, OCTOBER 2009

07.11.2009

At the end of October,a PET scan confirmed the relapse,including the previously enlarged node groups and other new areas.
In the Allgemeines Krankenhaus Hospital’s Hematology Clinic,Claudia did her best to speak to Professor Gaiger, a lymphoma specialist,known to have treated cases similar to hers.... [read more]

CHEMOTHERAPY

07.11.2009

Claudia completed her chemotherapy,the ABVD(Adriamycin,Bleomycin,Vinblastine,Dacarbazine) regimen in the March-August 2009 interval,coupled with 8 rounds of Rituximab (a monoclonal antibody directed against the CD20 surface antigen) between March and October 2009 .
Despite the aggressive chemotherapy,a complete remission was not obtained.The nodes’ dimensions diminished,but their growth continued.... [read more]

HOW IT ALL STARTED

07.10.2009

Claudia’s presenting symptoms were thoracic pain,dry cough,fatigue,night sweats,itching,which didn’t anticipate the serious condition she was diagnosed with.
In February a thoracic X-ray and a CT scan confirmed the enlargement of the nodes in her mediastinum,compressing her lungs.
A lymph node biopsy and histology report carried out in Bucarest and confirmed in Budapest diagnosed a Malignant unclassifiable large B-cell lymphoma,with intermediate features between a large B-cell lymphoma and a classical Hodgkin’s lymphoma.Stage IIB.... [read more]