Let's Help More Than 100 Children with Cancer

This winter, together with your help, we continued to provide comprehensive support to children diagnosed with an oncological illness. A child's oncological illness diagnosis becomes a huge ordeal for the whole family, often accompanied by anxiety, uncertainty, pain and fighting for one’s life. Because of your support, over the past three months we have been able to ensure that seriously ill children receive the necessary medications, nursing equipment and other vital assistance. Your donations through the GlobalGiving platform – 3,170 USD – turned into very specific and important help:

• 22,900 EUR – financial support for families. With this support, families caring for a child with oncological illness were able to pay for nursing equipment, food, and hospital travel expenses.

• 11,420 EUR – the Fund helped to purchase specific medications that are needed by individual childhood cancer patients but are not State-covered or not supplied in Lithuania at all. This was done in order to ensure that the proper treatment is administered.

• 1,251 EUR – for buying central venous catheters. For 16 years, the Fund has continued taking care of the emotional and psychological well-being of the little patients during treatment by supplying hospitals with long-term central venous catheters. These catheters ease the procedure of administering drugs, allowing children to avoid pain.

• 549 EUR – for oral care products Caphosol®, Mucosamin, Anaftin. These solutions help little patients get over the most common side effect of chemotherapy - mouth ulcers that are known to worsen both physical and psychological condition of a sick child. Thanks to these solutions, children are able to eat without suffering too much pain.

• 1,292 EUR – for nursing care products: adhesive bandages that are breathable, do not cause allergic reactions and are easy removed from the skin.

• 500 Eur – for genetic testing.

We are sincerely grateful to everyone who chose to support Lithuanian children suffering from oncological illnesses through the GlobalGiving platform. Your generous support is not only financial assistance, but also the belief that every child deserves to receive the most advanced and effective treatment.

You gave a priceless gift – the opportunity for a child to hear the words “You are curedl”! After all, there is no greater joy and meaning than seeing a recovering, growing child, stepping into life again with a smile and hope.

Thank you for believing, helping and creating a illness-free future for children.

Since its establishment 20 years ago, the Foundation‘s success is based on sponsors and volunteers‘ enthusiasm. Only with the help of others and financial support we can contribute to a more successful treatment of our little patients. Because of our supporters, together with doctors we can ensure the most advanced treatment regimens. We can also finance research that is not conducted in Lithuania. We can provide the necessary support for families or a cozy home space for a temporary stay at Rugute’s Home. Sometimes, this is what the whole world of a little patient consists of.

Thanks to you, during September, October and November the “Let's Help Children With Cancer“ project received 3,003 USD in support. Knowing that we are not alone in the most important struggle in a child’s life inspires us to keep believing in recovery and going forward with all our might.

We are sincerely grateful that with your support we were able to provide:

• 24,220 EUR – financial support for families. With this support, families caring for a child with oncological illness were able to pay for nursing equipment, food, and hospital travel expenses.

 • 13,641 EUR – the Fund helped to purchase specific medications that are needed by individual childhood cancer patients but are not State-covered or not supplied in Lithuania at all. This was done in order to ensure that the proper treatment is administered to the sick children.

 • 2,030 EUR – for buying a central venous catheters. For 16 years, the Fund has continued taking care of the emotional and psychological well-being of the little patients during treatment by supplying hospitals with long-term central venous catheters. These catheters ease the procedure of administering drugs to little children, allowing them to avoid pain.

 • 936 EUR – for oral care products Caphosol®, Mucosamin, Anaftin. These solutions help little patients to get over the most common side effect of chemotherapy - mouth ulcers that are known to worsen both physical and psychological condition of a sick child. Thanks to these solutions, children are able to eat without suffering too much pain.

 • 999 EUR – for nursing care products: adhesive bandages that are breathable, do not cause allergic reactions and are easy to remove from the skin.

 • 8,314 EUR – for the maintenance of Rugute's Home for the past three months. This sum was covering the maintenance costs of Rugute's Home - the rented premises (200 m2) with two bedrooms, a kitchen, two bathrooms and a cozy area for games, resting and meetings, and a small yard, not far from the Vilnius Children's Hospital. Having found a shelter in these premises, children with oncological illnesses are able to have a break from their treatment and hospita's environment. Rugute’s Home also allows family members to get a temporary accommodation while visiting their child in the hospital.

Looking back over the whole year, we feel gratitude in our hearts. On behalf of the Childhood Cancer Fund „Rugute“, I want to say a heartfelt THANK YOU for your incredible support to the children fighting cancer. Words cannot express how deeply grateful I am for your help in building bridges between two shores that sometimes feel so far apart. You reminded us that even on the hardest days, there is hope, love, and light. Thank you for not forgetting these brave children who are fighting so hard. Your kindness brings color to their world when everything seems so gray. Let the peace and quiet give you the opportunity to stop, take a breath and remember what is most important in life.

Thank you for your kindness and we wish you a hopeful, never-backing-down, full of love New Year.

Edita Abrukauskiene

Founder of the charity and support fund RUGUTE