In 2016, I went to a urologist for a check-up because I felt that something was wrong. The doctors said it was probably just a cold. Not long after, I discovered blood in my urine, so I went to Krasnodar for a more thorough examination, since the doctors there are better than in my hometown. The doctors suggested it might be cancer, and referred me to a cancer center, where I was diagnosed with bladder carcinoma. I received treatment there for around a year and a half, during which I underwent eight operations. Unfortunately, this did not help me or improve my condition. Eventually, they offered to remove my bladder, but I refused.
It was then that I learned about Sheba Medical Center from friends, and decided to come to Israel for examination. Shortly after arriving in Israel, I went to Sheba for tests, and after one of the doctors talked to me and explained the results, I was referred for treatment. The following year and a half I flew to Sheba often while receiving BCG treatment for my condition. Now I am in remission, and the last time I visited Sheba, Larisa, my medical coordinator, said that everything is fine and that I only need to come back for check-ups from now on. When I speak to my Sheba physicians, they tell me that they still don’t understand why I had those eight surgeries.
My experience at Sheba was great, and Larisa especially is an amazing medical coordinator, she takes everything very seriously. That said, all the employees are just incredible, and I’m sure that 90 percent of the success of my treatment was due to the attitude of the doctors and medical coordinators. I always send all my friends and acquaintances who are looking for treatment to Sheba, and 8 of them already received treatment there as a result. It’s nothing like Russia at all.
Bladder carcinoma completely changed my and my family’s outlook on everything. When before we didn’t pay enough attention to the things most important in life, we now put a lot less importance on material considerations and understand that the most important thing is health, life, and the experiences it holds. Accordingly, we decided to live our lives to the fullest and enjoy each moment. We also started to take physical exercise more seriously, and every evening my wife and I go for a walk on the beaches of the Black Sea.
