Zhenya’s Story

Zhenya is terrified right now. She is lying in Meir Hospital in Kfar Saba, trying to calm herself down at least a little.

The same questions keep spinning in her mind: What happens next? What about the kids? How will I pay all the bills without being able to work?

When Zhenya learned her diagnosis, everything happened suddenly and brutally fast. Just a few days earlier she thought she was simply exhausted from work and the intense pace of life. But the test results showed something completely different: acute myeloid leukemia.
The words hit so hard that in the first moment they were impossible to understand or accept. Too little time has passed since then — not enough to adjust to this new reality or find any sense of stability in it.

Zhenya’s story is the story of many. An urgent aliyah in 2022 because staying in Russia became impossible. A divorce already in Israel. After the divorce, Zhenya slowly adapted to her new life and took on most of the daily and financial responsibilities: rent, arnona, school fees, everyday expenses. It was a heavy load, but she managed.

She worked as a psychotherapist, ran a private practice, volunteered, and supported people who found themselves in difficult circumstances after October 7.

And then came the fatigue, weakness, dizziness. Nothing suggested that the diagnosis would be so serious.

Zhenya has already gone through intensive chemotherapy. Ahead of her is a bone marrow transplant, a long recovery, and a period when returning to work is simply impossible. Treatment is ongoing and will take months.

The children are now at home, cared for by Zhenya’s parents, the children’s father, and supported by friends and loved ones. Daily routines, schedules, school, the constant flow of tasks — they are carrying it all so that Zhenya can focus on healing.

Meanwhile, life continues to demand regular payments: rent, arnona, bills, food for the children. Zhenya is atzmai — self-employed.

Because of treatment, she cannot work and has temporarily lost her only source of income. For Zhenya to complete all the necessary treatment and return home, she needs just one thing: for her family to be able to hold on for at least four months.

Four months of calm, predictable everyday life — without the threat of losing their home, without debt, without fear that they won’t have enough for essentials.

Zhenya has spent her life supporting others. Today she is the one who needs help — so she can receive treatment without worrying about how her family will get through this time.