Dear Friends,

This website is dedicated to a wonderful young woman named Tatiana Cojocaru.  Tatiana lives in Orhei, Moldova.  We, her friends from different lands have created this site with the hope that in reading her story and understanding her medical situation, that you may feel in your heart the impulse to give Tatiana a gift. 

That is...the gift of life. As a group we are attempting to collect funds towards a severe medical condition she lives with on a daily basis. Due to her medical condition, called severe double scoliosis, her internal organs are being compressed and may cause the shortening of her life.  As of  January 2007 she has a 130 degree curvature in her spine. 

With the help of many, we have been contacting medical centers, hospitals and physicians to see the possibility of a charitable surgery procedure be done to save her. 

The surgical procedure is high risk and quite invasive.  In the United States, medical doctors who have reviewed her case at the University of  Utah Hospital In Salt Lake City, Utah have determined that to conduct this surgery in the states would cost in the range of $250,000.00 just for the surgery! This does not include therapy or recouperative costs.   The Intermountain Health Care (IHC) medical system had a team of medical doctors who were willing to operate, however, due to the severe condition, the medical system rejected taking the risk of operating her.  In the final analysis, the physicians decided to not assist due to the high risk and probability of Tatiana not surviving the surgery.

As a group of friends who are aware of the suffering of Tatiana, we ask that anyone who may have medical connections  that may guide us to the right hospital system and to the correct physicians to please contact us immediately.   As of January 15, 2007, Tatiana's condition is deteriorating rapidly.  Her lung capacity is severely restricted and the fear we have is that her internal organs will collapse and cause premature death. 

Tatiana is 23 years old, and unfortunately does not qualify for many of the programs available to children.  She had a very poorly done surgery in 2003, in which a titanium rod was placed in her spine.  This rod snapped mid 2006 and has caused a severe return of her condition. 

Please click on the rest of the site to learn more about her condition and what you can do.  We thank you for taking the time to inquire regarding Tatiana. 

Sincerely,
Tatiana's Friends.

Weekly Log  News Report

Week of January 27, 2007

Tatiana hasn't been feeling well at all. Is complaining of constant pain in her right lung region.  Has not been able to travel from her home town of Orhei to the capital (1 hour away) to visit her doctor.  Dr. Roman Gavric reports that she still maintains a cheerful attitude despite the condition and still maintains a high degree of hope that someone somewhere will be able to help her get the surgery she needs. 

Luis Espinoza and Janice Sacks have started once again contacting more medical teams and hospitals.  A hope that possibly Shriner's hospital can provide assistance is slim due to Tatiana's age, however, they are attempting to contact the decision making group.  Through Janice Sacks, the New York Medical Center is showing interest in pursuing the case, she reported.

A complete new set of  x-rays that Tatiana had done in December are now with Luis Espinoza.  The Cache Valley Specialty Hospital, in North Logan, Utah kindly allowed the xrays to be digitized and a digital format in Jpeg is now available to medical professionals who would like to review the condition.  Just contact Luis and he will email them to you.

Week of February 26th, 2007

Luis Espinoza had the opportunity to meet with Tatiana and her mother between the February 6th and the 25th.  Tatiana was able to travel to Chisinau, the capital of Moldova, to meet and speak with Luis regarding her condition. 

Tatiana completed a spirogram test to verify the capacity of her lungs.  Her left lung is working at 63 percent capacity and the right lung at 38 percent.  She still has pain and tires easily.   A complete MRI was done.  The results are with Luis.  He returned to the US and is available in Utah at the present. 

A note from Luis:

It was a wonderful experience meeting Tatiana and her Mother and sister Nataly.  Her cheefrul disposition remains the same as when I have spoken to her on the telephone.  The discomfort she feels is visibly apparent.  Tatiana explained to me the difficulty she has in being able to function normally due to the scoliosis. 

Roman Gavric was able to give me a brief tour of the medical system in Moldova.  It lacks greatly and expertise needed to treat Tatiana's condition is not available.  I had the opportunity to meet with a medical clinic director who has the vision of improving the medical system in Moldova.  It was an eye opening experience. 

I clearly see that there is no way that her medical condition can be performed in her country.  The facilities are less than adequate when dealing with her condition.  I brought back with me the results of the exams that we did.  If you have questions, please call.  thanks.

Luis

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