Maxim is 12 years old and he is the only child. Until he got sick he lived in Ukraine and was a happy boy who loved soccer, his friends and helping his mom. But one day in fall of 2018 his life changed its course.

At first, Maxim had mild aches in his legs and felt tired. The pains got stronger at night, but his parents never thought it could be cancer. After some time they decided to take Maxim for an x-ray just in case. The local doctors referred them to the regional hospital, but they didn’t find anything wrong and sent Maxim home.

The pain continued to come back and disappear for another month or so, but Maxim’s mom began to feel that they needed a second opinion and took him to Kyiv. And that’s when they learned that Maxim had a tumor. The news was a shock! Unfortunately, the biopsy’s results showed Maxim had malignant tumor – Ewing’s sarcoma – that had already spread to his spine. By then Maxim’s pains became unbearable and even painkillers were barely helping. The doctors said that the tumor was inoperable, and the best they could do was to extend Maxim’s life by chemotherapy and radiation.
After 15 cycles of chemo and 30 radiation sessions, Maxim has yet to achieve remission.

His parents searched the world for the hospitals that treat children like Maxim and decided on traveling to Ankara, Istanbul for treatment. The cost of treatment is high, but they are hopeful that it may save Maxim’s life and will appreciate any support.