This thing called love
Eduard found he had a rare cancer. When his girlfriend Inna found out, she proposed to him
Ukrainian Eduard Petrychenko, 33, may not live for long without a liver transplant, but love has given him a boost and he is hopeful of beating cholangiocarcinoma, a rare cancer of the bile ducts.
With simple faith and radiotherapy treatment at Mount Elizabeth Hospital, Mr Petrychenko somehow believes he will win this war against cancer.
It is mainly for wife Inna Volodarskaya, 32, who suggested they get married as a pledge of her undying love when the builder found out about his cancer and discontinued his job in May 2007 as he was too weak to work.
The couple requested for a biopsy but doctors were afraid the procedure would cause him to lose his life due to complications, so it was some four months after symptoms appeared before his rare cancer was diagnosed. A hospital they later visited in Ukraine said there was nothing it could do to save Mr Petrychenko.
Desperate, Ms Volodarskaya, a radio DJ in the small town where they live, went on air and spoke about her husband’s plight to canvas funds from listeners. She also set up a website, http://i-need-help.org.ua/, for others to understand his cancer, look for a donor and raise money for his liver transplant and treatment.
“We didn’t want to accept death as a fact,” Mr Petrychenko said. “We wanted a second opinion from other doctors and had the option of going to Germany or Singapore. Germany was too expensive. We also heard about a patient seeking treatment at Parkway Cancer Centre (PCC) getting good response.”
In April 2008, they sent medical reports to Singapore. Two months later, a heavily jaundiced and lethargic Mr Petrychenko flew to Singapore with his wife. He was having fever and did not have an appetite.
At that time, the tumour was causing obstruction of the main branches of the bile ducts so surgery to remove it was deemed impossible.
Dr Khoo Kei Siong, Senior Consultant, Medical Oncology, said: “We found that his tumour was fairly large and had obstructed the main branches of the bile ducts.”
To explore all possible treatment options, Mr Petrychenko was also referred to Dr Lee Kim Shang, Senior Consultant, Radiation Oncology, for evaluation of feasibility of radiotherapy. He also saw Dr KC Tan and Dr Lee Kang Hoe for consideration of surgical options including liver transplant.
PCC’s assessment was that his tumour was indeed too extensive to be resected.
Doctors decided to first treat him with antibiotics to clear the infection of the biliary systems followed by several courses of chemotherapy. After three months, his fever subsided and liver function improved.
Dr Khoo said: “He became significantly less jaundiced and his tumour marker, which was markedly elevated before the treatment, normalised.”
While an improved appetite and weight gain are encouraging factors, complete removal of the tumour remains the only way Mr Petrychenko can be cured as the tumour is too extensive for conventional surgery.
If a liver transplant does not come to pass, doctors intend to treat him with radiotherapy together with chemotherapy.
“There is emerging evidence that liver transplantation may be a viable option for him. Without removal of the tumour, his chance of surviving five years is slim,” said Dr Khoo.
Mr Petrychenko smiles, pointed to his life motto, with the words of philosopher John Locke written in the United States Declaration of Independence, printed on his shirt: “Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
“When you think about your future, you are grateful for your present,” he said.
Dr Khoo added: “Eduard is a highly motivated patient. He knew how bad his condition is. He was realistic in his expectation but there was never a hint that he was about to give up. One of his greatest source of support is his wife who is totally committed and had worked tirelessly to rally support for him.”
