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Please help our friend Andriana battle cancer

I'm writing this on behalf of my friend, because she right now is not strong enough to write it on her own. The sad thing about strength is that when you need it the most, it might not be there.

Or at least, it might not be in you.

But when you look around, you see people. Ordinary people walking by off to do their chores and try to make ends meet. Living. And you think … There is so much strength in this world! Can’t we share it?

This is a story of my friend Andriana who is 29 years old and has already met all the unfairness of the world in the roughest way possible.

She is battling cancer that they say cannot be cured. The formal expression is advancing carcinom on cervix, an inoperable tumor that is growing.

She was diagnosed with cervical cancer in January 2014 and was operated in March. The cancer was radically removed from the cervix and the operation was successful with promising forecasts. But only after a few months the disease returned with a vengeance. The doctors said operation was not possible and suggested radiation. By now they looked very concerned.

Radiation caused permanent infertility. It was a very painful physical and emotional experience for a young woman who just moved in with the love of her life with plans to start a family.

The radiation in August helped and in November the doctors said the disease declined by more than 60 percent. But soon after New Year we had to face bad news again. The beast came back stronger than ever.

Again, operation was not an option since the tumor is located in such a way that it cannot be fully removed. The doctors suggested chemotherapy with the purpose of reduction of the disease and its symptoms. They said this sort of cancer can only be … what was the word? Tamed. The disease itself they say is incurable.

But when you battle a beast like that, is taming really the way you want to go?

We answered no. And found a way to attack the monster so it will not come back.

And so, among all the unfairness here lies one of the biggest: you cannot kill it without money. Because the cold hard truth is that in this world you can die or you can pay to be alive. We will try to do the latter. But we need your help.

So here is one to all of you out there with a hearth of gold. We are trying to raise money to pay for her cancer treatment in a Medical Center Cologne (MCC) which offers a nontoxic cancer therapy based on dendritic cells vaccination and hyperthermia. They say they have had quite a few patients living with metastatic cervical cancer of various types and who they could help to extend several years to their lives and quite a few who went still in complete remission.

Their answer for us is a strong ray of hope. We need 46.000 euros to pay for the whole treatment. We are starting with a 10.000 euros goal. Every cent counts. We thank you in advance for your time and donation.

Let’s help Andriana smile again! Just like on the picture we posted … She did not let us post any other, because she is a fighter and she will not let anyone feel sorry for her.

We understand God gives the hardest battles to his strongest soldiers. Thank you for standing with us on the frontlines.

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UPDATE 16.4.2015:

Hello good people of the world. First we would like to thank each and every one of you for your support. The responses we've gathered are unbelievable. You're making a dream possible. A dream that started like a night mare just one week ago. We were sitting quietly, not saying much, when a dear friend Ivan - Adriana’s boyfriend - told us the total cost of the treatment. Everyone wanted to help, but we knew we couldn't raise that kind of money ourselves. The atmosphere was horrific. We parted quietly that night. But we didn't fall into despair or sadness. We fought and with all of you on our team, we now know we can win!

With that in mind we are announcing an important update. We've stated at the beginning of our journey, that Adriana’s medical treatment will require a budget of around 46.000 € . Our initial attempt was, to set the bar at 10.000 € in 45 days and see how close to that number we could climb. We couldn't even imagine that three days later, we'll be sitting down and discussing a new, bolder strategy. Can we push our goal a bit higher? Could we cover Adriana’s down payment expense – 17.500€ in full? We believe that with your help that goal is reachable. We are grateful from the bottom of our hearts!

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UPDATE 27.4.2015

Good people of the world! On her way to recovery Andriana has stumbled upon a new obstacle. Medical treatment in Cologne is no longer an option, since immunotherapy cannot help her disease.

As we write this, we are searching for new alternative methods that might work. The fight continues. Andriana needs our support and love now more than ever.

The costs of the treatment in the Medical Center Cologne and all additional costs will be covered with your donations that were gathered until now and will be gathered in weeks to come.

Thank you for your support. We are grateful that we are not alone in this battle.