SASHA'S STORY

Sasha’s best friend in the world is Kakha. She loves to scratch his ears and he, in turn, likes to rest a protective paw on her arm. They spend a lot of time like this, child and dog. Sasha doesn’t get out to play much. She often doesn’t feel well so instead she and Kakha like to cuddle while looking out of their window at the snow-capped mountains that surround her small village in one of the most remote places in Georgia.

At six years old, Sasha’s life is very different from the other children in her village. Diagnosed with a rare disease, Sasha’s experiences to date revolve more around clinics than the classroom or playground. If not treated, her condition will eventually render her unable to have any quality of life at all. Her parents, Davit and Ana, don’t show it, but deep down they are frightened for their little girl and her future, and completely traumatised by her illness. Ana describes it as feeling like being constantly tossed in the air on a blanket — the tests, the meetings with doctors, the rollercoaster of everything that has happened to them. She feels that everything is out of her control, that their whole family is at the mercy of this illness.

HOPE AT LAST

Toward the end of last year, Sasha’s parents received a call from
their doctor. After much dedicated research, he had discovered
something interesting — an international pharma company
was conducting a clinical trial into a treatment which could have
a huge impact on Sasha’s condition. It was a lifeline. There was
one hurdle, however. To participate in the trial, Sasha would need
to get to the Georgian capital, Tbilisi.

THE CHALLENGE

Located in the far, mountainous north of Georgia, snow-bound for six months of the year, with roads often impassable, the inaccessibility of Sasha’s village is difficult to comprehend for those unfamiliar with the unique topography of the region. The journey to Tbilisi for a family on a low income, which doesn’t own a car, presented what seemed like an insurmountable logistical challenge. Slowly, they began to feel their hope of being able to avail of the treatment that would change Sasha’s life slip away.

THE SOLUTION

Enter COREX. With time of the essence, the COREX patient services team set to work to get Sasha to the clinical trial and give her
the chance she, and her parents, so desperately need and deserve. Having analysed the route options, on a sunny spring morning,
COREX collected Sasha at her front door and transferred her by taxi
to the nearest airport where, four times a week, there’s a flight to Tbilisi. On landing, our precious cargo was transferred by taxi to the hotel which COREX had arranged and booked, and from there, taken
for her appointments at the clinic and back again as needed.
On completion of the entire process — diagnostic procedures,
tests and examinations — it was home again for Sasha, with COREX beside her all the way, door to door for a joyful reunion with
a delighted Kakha.

THE OUTCOME

Sasha has turned out to be a perfect trial candidate. And the best part for her is that she’s able to undergo her therapy at home, again with the help of COREX, of course, and the medical kits we supply to her parents containing everything that they need, along with instructional videos to show them what to do. And so far, so good. Sasha’s responding positively to the treatment. Ana and Davit have a hope that they hadn’t felt for a long time and Kakha still keeps that protective paw on the little girl that loves him so much but he knows there’s a change in the air — a change that might have been impossible if a dedicated and caring team hadn’t been on hand to facilitate the most practical requirement of getting from A to B.

The next time Sasha needs to visit the clinic for an in-person check up, we’ll be there again, right outside her door, providing the support that the family needs every step of the way.