Most of her life, little Abby Furko lived in the fight against cancer. She was only 4 years old when doctors diagnosed the disease. They said she had only a twenty percent chance of recovery.
“We were killed by grief, we were told that she would die,” says Abby’s mom, Patty Furko.
For the next six years, the family was doing everything possible to help Abby and give her a chance to have a wonderful life. The girl underwent bone marrow transplantation, intensive chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. Parents also gave their approval for the use of the test drug during the experimental treatment.
“Every day, we tried to surround Abby with love and care because any moment she could leave us. There were times when we didn‘t expect a new day for our baby. All we could do was watch her fight and try to get better,” her mother says.
In October 2013, the family saw a ray of hope. Abby finished the treatment. For a whole year, the girl could enjoy the joys of childhood. She studied at school, played football and joined the scouts. However, the happiness didn‘t last too long. A year later, cancer came back. It was even more aggressive this time. “She became completely immobile, any movement hurt her and she hardly spoke.”
In February 2015, Abby underwent another bone marrow transplantation, but after only 15 days, the doctors found that the donor bone marrow began to attack the body. This is called rejection of donor material.
The next month, Abby’s kidneys began to fail. She was placed in the intensive care unit, and then the doctors told her parents if they stopped giving her dialysis, she would die in 48 hours.
“The doctors told us it was time to say goodbye. Abby was awake only an hour a day and we had to let her go. We started preparing the family for her death,” the girl’s mother confessed. Abby’s sisters were by her side, grandfather and grandmother also came to say their farewell words to their granddaughter. Then, the preparation for the funeral began.
Suddenly, the devastated family witnessed a true miracle: Abby woke up and started talking!
“I have so much living to do,” she whispered.
It’s hard to believe, but Abby really started getting better. Over time, she grew stronger and started walking. Doctors could not explain this phenomenon, but everyone was just happy! The less medicine the girl was given, the faster she was recovering.
Abby is now in a state of remission and receives 4 steroids twice a day. Prognosis for her future remains uncertain, but the whole family knows that they need to enjoy the present. They saw their daughter dying and then coming back to life. Now, they are only hoping for the best!
