Aurela's little brother

This post was published on Aurela's WLV-Blog on the 20th of January 2015 in German:

Aurela's newborn little brother

"It happened this morning at 9am: Aurela's little brother was born! We had announced a sibling for Aurela before but unfortunately she was stillborn. So this time we didn't say much in advance. The boy weighs 4000 grams and still waits for his name. The birth was quite exhausting for the rather small Kosovare. She lost a lot of blood and is not well yet. We cross fingers that she'll be better soon. 
And we want him to grow up well. With the support of his "big" sister Aurela. One more reason to fight against her leukemia!"

In Spite of Good News for Aurela ~ The Clock is Ticking!

This post was first published in German on the WLV-Blog on 11th January 2015:

In spite of encouraging blood test results, Aurela is not healed yet. Far from it. Only a bone marrow or

Aurela with inflammation
of the middle ear

stem cell transplantation can heal her. She just gained a little time. 

She is ill again even though there has been relief that she felt better just before the New Year.

This time it is not only a sore throat, but an earache as well. She is exhausted and does not want to eat either. 

The attending doctor in Pristina told her parents again that real healing can't be achieved in Kosovo (there are no bone marrow transplantations possible) and that her living conditions are not ideal either: there is mold in their house. 

But her family can't change that ~ there is no money for a major renovation neither do her parents have the money for an operation in another country. But if nothing changes it is pretty likely she won't survive her 5th birthday even though she managed well up to now. 

We ask you to go on donating and sharing her story for her to live healthily and being able to become an adult. Every single Euro counts!  

To do this together is the only way to help her and facilitate a stem cell transplantation. A therapy that is usually paid for by health insurance in western European countries, if a fitting donator is found. But for Aurela there is not even a health insurance. 

Her only chance is the people who together with us fight for her and are of the opinion: Yes ~ even one single child has the right of life and most of all for being saved. Every life is precious and worth to be saved even though it is expensive, and you could save more children with the money. 

That might be the case but no one, REALLY no one should decide who's life is worth saving and who's isn't. 

For her family, Aurela is the most important little person in the world for whom not only missing education, poor circumstances and a full plate is needed but it is about pure survival. On top of that no one seems to be interested in their country as it is no area of crises anymore. 

There are no aid organisations anymore which would care for the medical treatment of children like Aurela. And she is probably not the only child with a fate like this - but who knows exactly as no one looks that way anymore.

We can make a point with saving Aurela! 

For EVERY life, every child is precious and important. 

For the importance of finding an interest in countries, no one cares anymore for. 

For the knowledge that people in these countries are not only poor, they fight with existential needs which seem to be taken for granted in our countries (like for example the care for a child who is ill). 

For in these countries a lot has to and can change ~ with our help! 

We also want to give some attention to our "emergency fund" beside the donations for the stem cell transplantation. 

With "emergency fund/Notfallhilfe", as note to payee you can donate too to give Aurelas parents the chance to pay for doctor's fees and treatment if she gets suddenly ill. Because more than often the means are missing for that.  

Good News for Aurela

This entry was first posted on the WLV-blog on Sunday 28th December 2014 (in German)

She has recieved her last infusion today and she is a lot better already!

Her family is relieved, as any "normal" illness that weakens her immunesystem can make her situation drastically worse which would mean only a prompt stem cell transplantation could save the little girl.

Please keep supporting the fundraising for Aurela!

Aurela is nearly over
her pneumonia

Aurela receives treatment because of pneumonia

This entry was first posted on the WLV-Blog on Wednesday 24th December (in German).

Aurela got her first infusion against her light pneumonia yesterday. She felt better yesterday and we cross fingers that she will get better soon!

Aurela with infusion

Winter in Kosovo is cold

This post was published first in German on 14th December 2014 here

In Kosovo, it can get pretty cold as with the continental climate the difference in temperature is much more extreme than in Germany. Ulf Hundeiker experienced this himself when he visited Aurela in March 2013.

However, the reserves of Aurela's family are used up ~ the girl though grows of course and develops splendidly as she responded well to the expensive chemotherapy against her leukemia. 

Her winter clothes from last year do not fit her anymore like with all children. We from WLF have collected used winter clothes as new clothes are unattainable for family Haliti. She must not die of cold as she is supposed to get a stem cell transplantation as soon as possible to get

a full recovery. In fact, thanks to many donators enough clothes came together, and they are all with Aurela now. Many thanks to all donators.  

For donations for a stem cell transplantation that is not possible in Kosovo look at the right side of this blog. 

A Pretty Normal Girl?

This post was first published in German here: Ein ganz normales Maedchen?

Even though Aurela suffers from leukemia she is a really tough little girl. 

She loves little computer

Aurela in December 2014

games and adores Barbie dolls.

She really enjoys to go by bus with all the school children from her village and would love it if she could go to school herself. However, her parents can’t even afford to send her to kindergarten right now.

Fresh fruit are very important for her health. She likes eating them but of course like other children she also loves sweets especially chocolate figures she can play with.

She most likely needs a stem cell transplantation to survive. However, that is not possible in her home country of Kosovo. Her parents also do not have any health insurance and have to pay for her treatment with their small income and with help from their family.

If you want to help and give her a chance to live and grow up to be a tough young woman, then you can find out how to here:

http://www.worldlifevision.org/index.php/WLV2012-1002

It goes well for Aurela ~ at least for now

Aurela and her test results
(November 2014)

This post was first published in German on November 12th on World Vision e.V. , and you can read it here.

Today young Aurela has gotten her new test results. Her doctor said that it looked ok for now, so she has all reason to present them proudly! 

But of course her condition can change anytime that is why her parents have to make sure that she is nice and warm at all times and that she eats healthily! 

Her family always worries about her, because she still has to wait for a life-saving stem cell transplantation - we can only come by the huge amount slowly. 

For all those who want to help Aurela can find information here. 

It's a long time since we heard from little Aurela who suffers from Leukaemia

You can find the original German post here: Lange nichts mehr von der leukaemiekranken kleinen Aurela gehoert

It was quiet around the project for quite some time. There was not a lot to report because we had to wait. The maintenance therapy against the acute myeloid leukemia of now nearly three and a half year-old Aurela from Uglar in Kosovo was stopped and so far her blood test results have been stable.

Exact tests about her actual condition are difficult and expensive - at least for the Haliti's, who have

Little Aurela in hospital

debts already due to Aurelas illness. There is still no health insurance in Kosovo neither is another social security which could help. A puncture of her bone marrow would give more meaningful information and enable a prognosis.

We do everything to make that possible because little Aurela is still not healed - in spite of good blood test results. And the donations are still not enough for a stem cell transplantation with which she could be saved. But we need much more money for that. However, the amount of donations is encouraging.

In our own case: Attempts to defraud at the expense of the weak

This post has been posted on the German Aurela Blog in German on fourth April 2014:

" Again some very clever person tried to sign up for a dating agency with our donations account. 

Of course with another name and this time especially brash. He or she used the nickname of a blogger who helps since a long time with everything in her power to help Aurela. Unfortunately this was not the first attempt to defraud ~ but certainly the most bold. 

We do not have to discuss the moral status of such an action. 

To use the donation account of a charity which tries to save lives, to help and to do something good in this world, fro signing up at dating agencies, sex- and gamble portals and online shopping businesses is plainly disgusting. And all of us are in agreement of the character of people like that. 

Sad world in which something like this exists... 

But you should know something, you wanna-be fraudsters: 

1. We SEE it. Always and instantly. And stop a direct debit like this directly. An attempt like this does not give you anything. 
2. We give the information directly to the provider of the service (who has been defrauded as well) which means the account is closed down at once. Our account number will be noted there. The second time you try, they know as well. 
3. If you try a second time we tell the police. Attempted fraud is a crime. 

So to all of you who have thought about it ~ DON't DO IT! It is annoying and does not help you at all. 

And think about what you are actually doing here.... 

Your  WorldLifeVision – Team!"

One hundred and eighty six Euro and no Hoeness in the background

This post was originally posted in German on the World Life Vision blog on March 11th a week before my last translation last week. Sorry:

Aurela with mum and nan

"One hundred and eighty six  Euro and a few cent do the tablets cost that Ulf Hundeiker got from the pharmacy. Aurela does need Mercaptopurin again which is part of her maintenance therapy against her acute myelogenous leukaemia. Mostly he pays for it himself even though he does not have a lot himself but this time friends helped out. And those have not a lot either. Not that any of them could defraud millions in tax like former German footballer Uli Hoeness. 

That is a bit unpractical as the stem cell transplantation for Aurela, for which we fundraise, does cost up to 250 000 Euro. And until then expensive medication has to be sent to Kosovo. 

Aurela is now nearly three years old and grown enough to understand a lot of the whole thing. A while ago she asked her aunt: "Has Ulf send the tablets again?" Yes, he has. Even though a lot went topsy turvy this time and at first there was not enough delivered. Like this Aurela has won a little more time. But sometime the effect of the maintenance therapy will stop. Hopefully, Aurela will have new stem cells by then. 

You can help too with a donation to save her life. A little family in Kosovo would be eternally thankful!

Nearly good news from Aurela

Hardly after the latest tablets were sent to Aurela in Kosovo who suffers from leukemia, pretty good news

Aurela on her swing

came back. The maintenance therapy which is meant to stop the return of the acute leukemia can be stopped. Which means her leukemia has stopped for now. Which means for Aurela: Not having to go to the hospital every four weeks for four days, not being stung by needles for injections and not feeling ill for a few days afterwards.

The results do not show any irregularities anymore. There are no degenerated blood cells anymore. Cancer is defeated for now.

Just for now though. Not for forever! Because a little rest still rests in the bone marrow of the nearly three year old girl from Kosovo. That is why hardly anything changes for us: She still needs a stem cell transplantation, which is the only chance to fully heal Aurela! Ulf Hundeiker who initiated the campaign "Please help Aurela" just does not have to send medication to Kosovo on a regular basis.

She will get another thorough examination. That will show how it will go on. If she needs therapy again. Or. Or. Or.

And it also means: A stem cell transplantation costs a fortune. Everybody can help with a donation!

create connections ~ save a life

Aurela on her swing

In the beginning there was a man who was determined to save the life of Aurela, who suffers from leukaemia, with a stem cell transplantation . How ever this could happen. He found World Life Vision and soon joined. He found sympathy. He found rejection. But knot by knot a network of connections of many totally different people began to emerge. 

And this network works a lot in the background of the project. Through connections to many different areas and regions new possibilities arise which might help to save Aurela. Someone knows doctors here; someone knows translators there; someone else knows societies and people with more connections.  

It is easier now to answer questions: Where is the most convenient place to get a stem cell transplantation done? Not only due to costs of doctors but also transport, translators and more.  

Which examinations are needed in advance and how are they organised in a way that they really work?! How can you lower the hurdles to get a visa? After all most visa applications from Kosovo to Germany a declined. 

And last but not least: How do we get the still needed money (please find information about donations on the right side under the "translate" button)? Which organisations and companies could help?

A lot happens in the background. And everybody can help. With donations. Or with spreading the word. Or with useful contacts. Or.....

Because Aurela wants to live! And the place of her birth should not stand her way.

Originally posted in German here: http://wlv-ev.de/blog/verbindungen-schaffen-leben-retten/

Happy & healing new year to Aurela and all of you!

Hello out there,

there is another storm raging outside our house so it's the best time to wish Aurela, her family, Ulf, WLV and all of you a happy, healing and prosperous 2014!

Just in case you need a wonderful new years resolution ~ here is one for you:

I'll donate money and/or spread the word about Aurela!

Your efforts are much appreciated!

donations

information

A kind of Christmas present for Aurela

Aurela  with a teddy

on her shoulders

Not really. Or is it? This time little Aurela will receive Cytarabin, one of the drugs which is used for her monthly maintenance therapy which she will get on January 6th the next time. This gives the two year old suffering from leukaemia time to survive. Time that is used by some people far away from her village of Uglar in Kosovo to enable her to have a life saving stem cell transplantation. 

The girl who is usually very cheerful does not know what destructive force, the blood cancer, is working in her little body. She does not know yet why she goes to hospital every four weeks where the staff desperately tries to find a place on her picked all over arms to set an entrance for the infusions necessary for her therapy. 

She runs around and dances again when she has recovered after a few days. However - how long will this last? How long do we have to collect donations and organise a stem cell transplantation for her? The clock is ticking. But the organisation is running. In the background without Aurela knowing about it. A lot happens! 

Of course we still need donations (for more information and donations look here: WLV e.V Aurela )! We have not reached our goal yet. But for now more medication goes on its way to Kosovo which will happen after the Christmas holidays. For Aurela to gain time. Time to live. Hopefully soon for good.  .

Aurela inbetween chemotherapies

Aurela, who is now two and a half years old, is actually quite a normal child inbetween chemotherapies which she gets every four weeks. She talks constantly and her vocabulary grows daily.

Aurela on a swing

She laughs a lot and dances happily to music when she has recovered from those four exhausting days in the children's hospital in the capital Prishtina. She switches on the tv herself if necessary and even finds the music channel! 

She also loves to talk on the phone preferably with Mimoza, Ulf's German speaking contact person in Kosovo. Really a quite normal, cheerful child -

if there would not be the leukaemia for which she gets treated since two years which is actually nearly all her short life. Right now it is ok with her after she just about cheated death two years ago.  

But the only real chance to heal the leukaemia fully is a stem cell transplantation. This can not be done in Kosovo especially as it is extraordinarily expensive: In Germany for example such an operation would cost up to 250.000 Euro!

Even the running treatment is not easy to ensure. Some medication is not available in Kosovo. These are bought by Ulf Hundeiker the project "manager" in Germany and he organises their transport to Kosovo as well. But the rest needs paying too and that has to be in cash as there is no health insurance in this still destroyed country. 

The Haliti's, her family, is highly in debt because of that but there is nothing too hard to bear for them for little Aurela. But to raise a quarter of a million is absolutely not possible. That is why we fundraise. For that Aurela can laugh happily when she will be grown up.

IF.

Project information
Donations
Film about Aurela (Please enable subtitles for English translation)

Press release 18.11.2013: New medication for Aurela ~ Dosages increased

This entry was first published in German on the World Life Vision e.V. Blog by Ulf Hundeiker

"Ulf Hundeiker is just back from Düsseldorf where he posted medication for nearly 190 Euro to Prishtina.

Aurelas medication (Mercaptopurin)

photo credit: Ulf Hundeiker

The little Balkan country is still on its knees even 14 years after the official end of the war in Kosovo and five years after Germany and the UK amongst others have recognised the country. No real welfare system exists nor is a health insurance available.  

“The latter is a big problem - in this case for Aurela!" says Ulf Hundeiker. Because the by now 2 year old girl from Kosovo suffers from leukaemia. And only a stem cell transplantation can heal the girl fully. "I fundraise since a while on the account of the non-profit organisation World Life Vision as the transplantation would cost up to 250.000 Euro and Aurela's parents are, like most people in Kosovo, not rich." as the 41 year- old from Muenster, Germany says. 

The Haliti family has to raise all funds for her therapy and is because of this already highly in debt. "Some of the drugs for the maintenance chemotherapy is not available in Kosovo. I buy those here mostly out of my own pockets." This time friends have helped him though, as the former nurse who can not work in his profession anymore for health reasons is not rich either. Particularly as the dosage for the just send Mercaptopurin just had to be doubled. Which means double costs: “187,34 Euro for the next three months. The donations are for the stem cell transplantation. I have paid for both journeys to Kosovo and what comes with it myself."

Aurela with a teddy on

her shoulders

photo credit: Ulf Hundeiker

By now there have been donations of more than 17.000 Euro - but the goal - to save Aurela's life, is still far away. All her younng parents Kosovare and Flamur Haliti's hopes lay on him.  

“I won't give up! Every life is worth to fight for it!" 

Info: 

~ http://pleasehelpaurela.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/faq-how-can-i-help-aurela.html

~ http://www.worldlifevision.org/index.php/WLV2012-1002

~ http://pleasehelpaurela.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/we-need-you-please-help-aurela.html

Donations Account:
World Life Vision e. V. (gemeinnützig)
Account Number 4740084
Bank code 830 654 10
Deutsche Skatbank
BIC GENODEF1ALT
IBAN DE68 83065410 0004740084"

The long way: A book by Kerstin Ludwig. To save Aurela's life

This entry was first posted in German on the World Life Vision e.V. Blog on July 28th 2013. The book is only available in German.



" This is the introduction to the book which Kerstin offers to download for free but asks for a donation for Aurela's stem cell transplantation. This is used instead of an article about the book:


"Life is fragile. People can have accidents, others might be out to get their life - and sometimes people just get ill.

Our medicine has come far. Many illnesses can be healed today. Cancer does not automatically mean a death sentence anymore thanks to therapy and medication.

But there are parts of the world where people just have enough to survive. Where there is no health insurance. Where "cancer" still is a death sentence because no one can afford the therapy or medication. There the line between death and life has to do with how much you can afford and not how easily the illness can be treated.

This is even harder if it hits a child that hardly had time to live.

Aurela is one of those children. Not even two years old her life is threatened to end before it even started. Aurela suffers from AML: Acute Myelogenous Leukaemia in children. This illness is easy to to treat but the costs are so exorbitantly high that her family just can not afford it. They live in Kosovo beneath the poverty line and do not have insurance that could pay for the costs. They are already highly in debt.  

You can find more information about Aurela here:
http://www.worldlifevision.org/index.php/WLV2012-1002

There might be many children out there like Aurela. And I surely can not save all of them. But I want to try to save this one. 

I do not have the money to give Aurela the chance to a life in health. But I have this book. I have written these stories with the help of the readers of my blog for a project for Christmas. The readers gave me keywords and I made stories out of them. This is a community project. Without those keywords, which are sometimes quite unusual, I could not have done this.

This lead to small or bigger stories which have a central theme and are a mirror of the readers of my blog as well as myself. In a way this book is a little like me: chaotic, creative, certainly not normal, but I do not want to be normal anyway.

The keywords are put in front of every story - which means it also became a little "spot the keyword" game: Did I really manage to make a story of every keyword? On top of that I used stories that have not been published on my blog. There are no keywords for those. They are just there and stand for themselves.

If you read this you probably have downloaded the book via one of the publishers and I thank you for the time you are taking to follow my thoughts. You have seen that this book is available for free.

The only thing I ask for is a donation for Aurela. I do not want any money I get along. But this child and many others do not.

I hope the money helps another World Life Vision project if it should not be possible to save this child. My "thank you" goes to Ulf Hundeiker, who gave me the idea for these stories with his aid project. 

Ulf you are the greatest. Even though you do not want to believe this.

Donations:
World Life Vision e. V. (Gemeinnützig)

Note to payee/project number: WLV2012-1002
Account: 4740084
Bank code: 83065410
Deutsche Skatbank

payments from other countries than Germany please use

BIC GENODEF1ALT
IBAN DE68 83065410 0004740084

download:

.mobi (Amazon-Kindle-compatible)
.epub
.pdf "

Big and small donation

This entry was first posted on August 18th 2013 on the German Aurela Blog

Two weeks ago two big donations arrived: a young woman had collected 500 Euro in her circle of friends and family and another person was so touched that she or he gave 1000 Euro. There are also countless smaller donations for which we are very grateful as every penny counts. 

Since yesterday the amount of donations is 16 604,72 Euro. Not bad for a campaign with practically no recourses! But the truth still is: We need more. More donations and more people who motivate others to donate as well. Because a stem cell transplantation costs in Russia about 80.000, and in Germany about 250 000 Euro.

And Aurela wants to live! She wants to meet her little sibling which is on its way. And her family just wants a happy family life. 

Information and donation (also paypal)

Aurela: A new delivery of medication

(first posted 30th August 2013 on German blog)

Besides her monthly chemotherapy in hospital little Aurela also has to take cytostatic drugs daily against her acute myeoletic leukaemia which are in tablet form. Unfortunately some of those drugs can not be bought in Kosovo so they have to be purchased in Germany and then send to Kosovo. 

Puri-Nethol (Mercaptopurin)

This medication is expensive but this time Ulf Hundeiker has some help as he received a donation via post exactly for the purpose of sending medication to Aurela (Thanks very much!) and the tabletts were re-imported and therefore cheaper. With the help of friends they will be transported to Kosovo to the capital Prishtinë where they will be picked up. 

Seventy-one Euro for 25 tablets but as Aurela is still little she only gets a quarter so they last for three months. Then the same starts again. 

But those drugs are important as obviously Aurela has to survive until she can receive the stem cell transplantation for being healed for good. So far 16.600 Euro have been donated but we need much more. That is why the call for donations still is up-to-date. 

• Take part: How can I help Aurela
• Information

Nothing is good, unless good is done

Erich Kästner was right with this sentence. Because so often, when  many quarrel about the right way to help or if it is right to help at all, nothing happens. Lots of talk and no action.

It is not difficult though. Because you can help little Aurela (and others of course as well) with donating money or your time and online presence to spread the message. 

Aurela who suffers from leukeamia
in summer 2013

Aurela, who looks so cheerful in this picture, is just gone back to the children's hopsital in Prishtinë due to a lung infection. She was quite stabil in the last few months. But the only thing that could help her in the long run is a stem cell transplantation which is not possible in Kosovo and with 80.000 to 250.000 Euro somewhere else far too expensive. Especially as there is no health insurance in Kosovo which could pay for it.

The running costs for chemotherapy to keep her state as it is and all other therapeutic and diagnostic procedures, has to be paid by her already highly in debt (due to costs of illness of Aurela) family. The donated money, by now 17314,60 Euro, is only for the stem cell transplantation. A suitable donator is already searched for with a blood sample which was organised via a privately paid for journey to Kosovo. From a person who rather does than talks. 

What is still missing is money. And people who help to come by it. 

Donations
More Information