Elena Sadikova came to Cal State East Bay in 2007 as a journalism student from Moscow State University by way of a U.S. government scholarship.
Sadikova was awarded the scholarship over 100 other applicants because of an article she had written on T.V. personality Oprah Winfrey.
During her two years at CSUEB, she honed her journalism skills working as an intern for The Pioneer and was an avid blood donor; a cause that was near and dear to her heart.
Just before she was to return to Moscow in 2008, Sadikova donated her blood through the Red Cross just as she did every three months. However, this time she remembers feeling unwell and was told that her hemoglobin levels were too low for her blood to be accepted for donation. Something was wrong.
Back in Moscow, a tragic irony unfolded. After consulting with a family friend who recommended that she seek medical attention, Sadikova was diagnosed with acute myeloblastic leukemia, a cancer of the blood.
“That’s how I learned about my disease, said Sadikova, being a blood donor.”
Sadikova received six cycles of Chemotherapy and her cancer appeared to be in remission.
For eight months she returned to her studies. However, during a routine checkup in March 2010 her doctors discovered that her cancer had returned.
Another round of Chemotherapy has left her with sepsis, pneumonia and worst of all, in need of a bone marrow transplant.
Throughout the ordeal, the 22-year-old has remained upbeat, joking and even creating a newspaper called “Blood Droplet” which offers support to her fellow patients.
However, Sadikova’s situation remains grave. Russia does not have a bone marrow donor program and to make matters worse, she has a rare type of chromosome which severely limits the number of donors.
Sadikova’s family is trying to send her to the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, a world renowned treatment center with a large bone marrow donor database which requires a deposit of $423,000.
In an attempt to raise the necessary funds, an online campaign has been started to raise money for what could possibly be Elena’s life saving journey to Seattle.
As of this week, Sandikova’s fiancé Oleg Pesterev, who attended CSUEB’s MBA program, confirmed that around $150,000 has been raised and that $275,000 is still needed for the initial deposit at the hospital.
Recent news posted on Elena’s Facebook page states that her temperature is remaining stable and that she is responding well to the new round of Chemotherapy.
However, her immunities and bone marrow levels remain low.
Elena’s mother, Alla ,remains optimistic. “We won’t think that this is a final verdict and that the situation is hopeless. We will fight this,” said Alla.
Elena and her family do not show any signs of giving up this fight which has grabbed the attention of concerned citizens across the globe.
For more information they can visit www.elenasadikova.com or visit the Advita Fund USA at www.advitausa.org.