Please Help 5 Year Old Anastasia. She has bilateral conductive hearing loss, cholesteatoma (a benign tumor of the middle ear). Requires surgical treatment.

Please Help 5 Year Old Anastasia. She has bilateral conductive hearing loss, cholesteatoma (a benign tumor of the middle ear). Requires surgical treatment.

California Ear Institute, Palo Alto, CA

  • $1.00


I had a cleft lip and this same defect was transmitted to my daughter. Wasting no time, we consulted specialists. At one year of age, they operated on Anastasia and fixed the defect. My daughter began to speak early, but her speech was slurred, adenoidal. I thought it was because of the cleft lip. But, as it turned out, Anastasia had problems with her hearing. In November 2015, my daughter was examined at the Orel Center for Audiology and Hearing Rehabilitation. She was found to have conductive hearing loss of the second degree. Due to congenital anomalies, my daughter’s ear canals had closed. The doctors said that it’s possible to operate and restore her hearing. But the operation would have to wait until Anastasia turned six. My daughter came down with bronchitis in the winter and her hearing disappeared almost completely. Now she has hearing loss of the third degree. Anastasia was approved for disability and issued hearing aids that transmit sound through bone conduction. In May, an American doctor specializing in hearing examined Anastasia. He came to Moscow for a conference. The American doctor said that Anastasia has a benign tumor in the middle ear on the right. It can grow, cause meningitis, and affect the facial nerve, so it must be removed. Despite the tumor, the anatomy of Anastasia’s ear is intact. At the American clinic, my daughter’s hearing can be restored right away. Only, we can’t afford these operations. Please Help!

Ekaterina Zuykova,
Orlovsky District, Kirov Region.

California Ear Institute Otolaryngologist Joseph Roberson, M.D. (Palo Alto, USA): "She urgently needs an operation – the tumor is growing aggressively. We will remove it, restore both auditory canals, and the girl will be able to hear."

The cost of Anastasia’s treatment is $81,200. We are happy to report that Rusfond in Moscow has raised the entire amount needed. However, an additional $6,750 may be required for her and her mother's flights, accommodations, food, local transportation, and other associated expenses for the duration of their stay in the USA.

If you want to help Anastasia please don't let the cost stop you. Your donation in any amount will be gratefully accepted. You can contribute to Russian American Children's Foundation using a Credit Card, Apple Pay, PayPal, or by sending a check made payable to:

Russian American Children's Foundation 
420 Lexington Avenue, Suite 300 
New York, NY 10170

Thank you! All donations in excess of what is needed for Anastasia will help other children in need of ear surgery. 


01/25/2017

All of the funds necessary for Anastasia's care have been raised.

Anastasia Zuykova successfully underwent surgery at the California Ear Institute (Palo Alto, USA). A huge tumor was removed, which grew into the soft tissues of the cheek and was infected. In September, the girl will undergo a second operation – to restore the ear canals.

Anastasia’s mother Ekaterina thanks everyone for their help.

Ekaterina, mother of Anastasia Zuykova: "We returned home after the first operation in the US. What we heard from our doctor, shocked my husband and me! Anastasia was the first case in Dr. Roberson's entire practice of such an aggressive tumor. According to him, Anastasia’s days were numbered! And after the operation, a miracle happened: yesterday I was walking with my daughter along the street, holding her hand, we chatted. She hears... without a hearing aid, in a warm hat! Words cannot express the feelings that we experienced with my husband this month. This is another life saved with your help! Thank you for hearing us out. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!"