In September 2019, residents of Russia learned that a girl from the United States born with a Batman mask would be treated in Krasnodar. This nickname was given to him because of a huge dark neoplasm on his face, shaped like a comic book hero mask. A young Miami resident with Brazilian roots and the beautiful name Luna has disfigured a giant melanocytic nevus caused by a genetic cellular defect. Recently, Doctor Pavel Popov ended her estrangement and from Krasnodar the daughter and her mother flew to Brazil. But in the New Year they will return to Krasnodar.
Russian alternative
The moon was born in the spring of 2019 and literally shocked those around it with its appearance. But for parents willing to love their child with any face, the worst turned out to be something else. The giant melanocytic nevus has become a time bomb for the baby from the first days of life. These neoplasms are very unstable and, over time, can develop into a malignant tumor of the skin called melanoma. In the case of the Moon, this probability was particularly high. This is the main reason why it was necessary to remove the pathological tissue as soon as possible. In addition, the girl's parents were confronted with the brutal frankness of the people in their supposedly totally tolerant country. At the sight of their daughter, not only children, but also many adults jumped aside and pointed.
“The worst situation happened in the church, & mdash; then the mother of the girl Carol Fenner told reporters at the Daily Mail. & mdash; There, a little girl asked her mother about Luna's face, to which she replied, “ Oh my god, don't look there, she's some kind of monster! How horrible! '' ; & raquo;
& nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; See this post on Instagram & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp;
Luna with her parents in Miami before flying to Krasnodar.
And the spouses were horrified by the gloomy prospect that awaited the Moon, unlike the other children. In addition, she became a much awaited child. The point is, the doctors practically ended Carol Fenner's motherhood. Several years ago she was diagnosed with a liver tumor and doctors said that during pregnancy she would develop from hormones. But the woman nevertheless tried her luck and gave birth to a daughter, which was brought with great difficulty under the constant supervision of specialists. It was a real miracle that, contrary to expectations, Carol's tumor even shrank on its own. Luna's mother, who emigrated from Brazil, also hoped for the miracles of American medicine, which would help rid her daughter of a dangerous nevus. But local doctors stunned him and her husband.
“ They were asked to do 80 surgeries in five years, & mdash; The chief doctor of the Krasnodar Laser and Photodynamic Therapy Clinic, laser surgeon-oncologist Pavel Popov told reporters. & mdash; They were supposed to start when the girl grew up, and they were to be performed at various medical institutions in America. And for all this you had to pay an insane amount. Doctors have deliberately come up with a treatment regimen that does not fit under any US medical insurance framework. They were uncomfortable just saying, 'We can't operate on your daughter, we can't do everything the way you want. They answered in such a way that the question would go away on its own. It was a polite refusal. & # 39;
Pavel Popov, who learned of the existence of the Moon from the media, offered a much more frugal treatment both for the health of the young girl and for the wallet of her very poor parents. At first, the couple were skeptical of Krasnodar's offer of help, which was sent to them via the internet. A cold response returned, dictated by a stereotype. They say, what can some Russian doctors in general do compared to “advanced” doctors? Americans? But the photos and videos sent to the United States with the results of the work of the Kuban doctors, decorated in the 'before and after' style, turned out to be more eloquent than any word. Within weeks, Carol and the Moon were already flying across the ocean to a city incredibly distant to them.
& nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; See this post on Instagram & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp;
Video of Carol showing the dynamics of the treatment of the Moon in Krasnodar over 2 years.
Chronicle of the Moon
Mom and daughter landed in Krasnodar on the evening of September 25 and immediately fell under the view of journalists' cameras. Despite her great fatigue from the long flight, Carol Fenner was friendly and very outspoken.
“ Before this trip, everyone stopped me and called me crazy, & mdash; the woman honestly confessed. & mdash; They told me, they say, why try to treat my daughter so far away where everything is different. But still decided to come, because Krasnodar Doctor is one of the best. From what I've seen with him and the doctors in the US, the results will be better here. ''
But the fruits of a difficult decision have exceeded all of her expectations. First of all, she became convinced of the advantages of the Kuban doctor's method. In the US, the moon would have had to wear huge silicone expanders under the skin for over a year to stretch it for subsequent transplants. She would require scalpel operations under noxious general anesthesia with a long recovery in hospital. And Pavel Popov's laser treatment does not require all of these. Immediately after each operation, Luna returned with her mother to a rented apartment in Krasnodar and felt well. Carol shared the results of each step of the treatment on Instagram and repeatedly emphasized her decision to come to Russia. She even called it “the best of her life”. Besides, she took to social media because she had nothing to do.
Doctor Pavel Popov shows a photo of another girl from the United States after 4 years of treatment for a nevus in the classic method. Photo: AiF/Alexander Vlasenko
“ I opened an Instagram account for my daughter, & mdash; admitted Carol to Krasnodar. & mdash; When she grows up she will be able to read what people are saying about her, how worried she is. She will see the operation and its first results. “
She also raised money for the treatment through social media. When the tide of donations subsided, Carol began selling her daughter's souvenirs. But all the same, she would hardly have received the full amount. Fortunately, the clinic didn't demand you pay for everything all at once. And then something happened that the woman again, not without reason, called a miracle.
At the end of 2019, a Russian businessman, who wished to remain anonymous, transferred most of the total cost of treating the Moon to the clinic: $ 60,000. This amount was not enough for the family. Naturally, Carol was stunned.
Luna with her mother Carol after the first stage of treatment in Russia. Photo: AiF/Alexander Vlasenko
“ We have no words to describe our feelings, & mdash; she then wrote on Instagram. & mdash; We want to thank everyone who helped us with something, prayed for us, and especially our Russian Santa Claus. He took the fear from our hearts. Our daughter is very lucky! Today we confidently state that God loves us and that Santa Claus exists! ''
In Russia, Luna celebrated her first birthday, took her first steps and spoke her first words. And here, for the first time, she was able to stay for a long time near her grandmother, who lives in Brazil. In early 2020, Carol invited her mother to Russia for the next treatment, to help her take care of the Moon. It was very difficult for her alone to do it. But when mum arrived, not everything went as planned.
& nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; See this post on Instagram & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp;
Luna during the final Batman Mask Removal phase.
Luna doesn't say goodbye
Luna's grandmother came to the Kuban for an adventure. At first, she got lost in Moscow airport, then got lost in Krasnodar, where she landed late at night with a four hour delay. The woman, who only spoke Portuguese, had to speak to the police officers who helped her. Another adventure for her with her daughter and granddaughter was a pandemic. Due to the closed borders, the parents stayed together in the Kuban for about six months instead of several months. But it did speed up the processing of the moon. And the family got to know Krasnodar a little better.
Townspeople often met them in a beautiful new park created by businessman Sergey Galitsky . This happened more often during the warmer months, as the natives of Brazil are very sensitive to the cold. But in all weathers, they were greeted warmly by the locals,
& nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; See this post on Instagram & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp;
The moon rests in the Caucasus foothills after the nevus is cleared.
“ In the United States, everyone has told me that the Russians & mdash; people are cold, like the weather here, & mdash; admitted by Carol Fenner. & mdash; But I was surprised how nice everyone here was to us. In the streets they stop us, greet us, say: & bdquo; God bless you, all be well & ldquo ;. The weather is really cold here, but not as cold as I expected. & # 39; & # 39;
They have received gifts from people who follow the fate of the moon more than once. Someone sent some keepsakes, and just over a month ago Carol showed off on Instagram her country vacation in the foothills of the Kuban region. In her post, she wrote that this is also a gift made by the owners of the local eco-farm. Interestingly, the woman named this place with the word “hacienda”, which entered our vocabulary from Brazilian TV series. Tired of the four walls, Luna was delighted to lie down in the fallen leaves with another young patient from the United States with a nevus on her face. Parents brought Demi Nguyen from Texas to Kuban when they learned of the existence of the moon. As a result, they were relieved of the “masks” almost simultaneously.
& nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; See this post on Instagram & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp;
A selection of images of the Moon's rest in Brazil this winter.
“We have now completely completed the Moon Nevus Removal step, & mdash; said to Andrey Aleksutkin, executive director of the Krasnodar clinic . & mdash; In total, six large-scale operations were carried out. But at the beginning of the New Year, the Moon will come to us to undergo cosmetic procedures, after which the treatment will be completely finished. How long will it take I can't say. It all depends on the reaction to the procedures, how everything is going to heal. As for Demi, she only needs to come to us once, also for cosmetic procedures. & # 39; & # 39;
Luna and her mother moved from Krasnodar to the Brazilian city of Florianopolis, which took them 37 hours to arrive. Their relatives live there, some of them have never seen the young girl live. She herself also came for the first time to her historic homeland, where she will celebrate the New Year. Carol has previously posted footage of a happy reunion at the airport, their joint vacation with relatives, and also posted a video from her interview about her daughter's treatment in Russia. In Brazil, the moon has also become a real star.