In 2005, Alesha Zakharov was an aspiring programmer, interested in information technology and getting ready to graduate from high school. His dreams were put on hold when he was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma. After his eighth chemotherapy round, his doctor prescribed neupogen to help him recover from side effects of chemo in preparation for autologous bone marrow transplantation. Unfortunately, his family needed to pay for this expensive medication out of pocket. By that time, his family's finances were exhausted. Alesha has long sold his computer to pay for his treatment. His mom had to quit her job to care for him. Help Journal stepped in and raised enough money for Alesha's medications. One of the bloggers donated his laptop to the boy so that he could resume programming. After successful transplantation and chemotherapy, Alesha was released from the hospital. He is in remission today and doing well. In the summer of 2007, he got his driver's license!

19-year old college student Olya Metelkova lived at an orphanage in Rybinsk (Yaroslavl region, Central Russia) until her 18th birthday. Due to a degenerative eye disease, Olya was rapidly losing her vision. She feared she would not be able to continue her studies and live independently if her vision got any worse. She needed money for eye surgery. Once the information about the girl was posted in our blog, two donors agreed to pay for the girl’s treatment. Olya’s surgery on June 20, 2005 was a success. She regained her sight and was able to continue her studies.

Varya Tevkina has cerebral palsy. Her family moved from Moldova to Moscow, Russia, so that Varya would have access to specialized treatment and rehabilitation programs. Since the beginning of physical therapy, Varya had made a lot of progress. In 2006, her parents contacted Help Journal volunteers asking for help in purchasing a wheelchair for their daughter. Varya needed a light motorized wheelchair that she could learn to control herself with one hand. As a result, $1,181 was raised for a new wheelchair, and now Varya is able to move around by herself.

Sergey Zhavoronkov, a 16-year-old from Kuznetsk (Penza Region, Russia), suddenly lost vision in one of his eyes. He was diagnosed with an intraocular tumor, which was then surgically removed. However, Sergey’s problems were not over: one day several months later he woke up completely paralyzed. Doctors in Penza suspected a brain tumor but MRI was needed to get accurate diagnosis. Volunteers from Help Journal and from volunteer group “Donors-for-Kids” helped arrange Sergey’s transfer to Burdenko Institute of Neurosurgery in Moscow. While Sergey’s surgery and in-patient treatment were free of charge, all diagnostic imaging had to be paid for out-of-pocket. Help Journal raised $560, which covered the costs of MRI imaging. Surgeons in Moscow removed the tumor, which turned out to be benign. Sergey recovered fully and is now back at home.

Alesha Korenev was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis in 1982 at the age of two months. In 2009, the Alesha's health declined greatly. He suffered from shortness of breath and needed a special ventilator VENTImotion to help him breaze. Help Journal helped raise 6250 Euros necessary to purchase a ventilator for Alesha. We were also able to help Alesha's family pay for the necessary medications. We thank all of you who helped Alesha!