"Thought it was just exhaustion, but it turned out to be cancer": A 17-year-old football player from Bratsk passed away after a year-long battle with the disease.

- I will definitely win, and cancer will lose. I will "kick it out," - shared 17-year-old Gleb Rasputin from Bratsk with his family a few months ago.

For almost a decade, the young man devoted his life to football. Gleb holds a first adult sports rank, along with a collection of certificates, trophies, and medals. He gave his all in every game. Like many of his peers, the tenth grader had grand plans for his life: to pursue his beloved hobby, finish school, and get into university. However, a year ago, a terrifying diagnosis – leukemia – entered his life. And the battle began. Hundreds of people helped the young athlete: family, friends, classmates, and caring locals. Gleb fought for his life until the very end and believed in his recovery. Unfortunately, the disease did not relent. On January 27, the young man passed away.

Thought he was just overworked

- My husband and I have two children. Gleb is the eldest. He has been passionate about football since he was six years old. He trained at a sports school and actively participated in competitions, - recounts Lyubov Rasputina, Gleb's mother. – He also studied well at school, especially loving physics and mathematics. He managed to balance lessons and training. He didn't particularly want to connect his profession with professional sports, as he occasionally experienced knee pain. His health simply wouldn't allow it. He leaned more towards technical specialties.

In November 2023, the Rasputin family moved from Bratsk to Novosibirsk, where Gleb enrolled in the 10th grade. Upon learning that a football player would be studying there, the school principal contacted the physical education teacher and suggested creating a team of seniors. The first competitions took place, where the young man gave his all. However, after returning home from another game, Gleb suddenly felt incredibly exhausted instead of invigorated.

- He admitted he barely made it home. But we thought it was just signs of a common cold or that the move had affected him. I often felt a constant fatigue and discomfort in the new city myself. The climate in Novosibirsk is somewhat different from what we were used to in Bratsk.

In January of last year, the high school student underwent a medical examination for military enlistment. One day, Gleb had tests done. However, a few hours later, the pediatrician, having received the results, rushed to the Rasputin home to give the young man a referral to the regional hospital.

- The pediatrician informed me that Gleb had cancer. The blood test results indicated high leukocyte and platelet counts, suggesting a blood disease. I didn't believe it until the very end! I hoped it was a mistake. At the hospital, my son was sent for further examination. The diagnosis was confirmed – lymphoblastic leukemia. At the time of admission, Gleb had over 170,000 leukocytes in his blood. This indicated that the bone marrow was affected by more than 90%...

Fought cancer until the end

The schoolboy was immediately started on chemotherapy. But on the second day of treatment, Gleb suffered a stroke and was transferred to intensive care. After some time, the doctors resumed the treatment course. However, it yielded no results. The medical team decided to send the patient to Moscow.

After 36 days of treatment, Gleb entered remission and was transferred to a hospital for long-term care.

- Everything was going wonderfully. We were monitored by doctors and had tests done. Gleb felt good, and we hoped that all the horrors were behind us. We went for walks, visited the zoo, the park, watched football, and went to the movies. The doctors recommended these activities so that my son could receive positive emotions and recover fully as soon as possible.

He was very patient, never complained of pain. Photo: provided by Lyubov Rasputina.

But everything changed on September 3. Gleb was preparing for classes he attended at the hospital school. Suddenly, Lyubov heard her son calling her from another room.

- I realized he had suffered another stroke. He had the same convulsions and lost consciousness. Gleb was taken to intensive care. Later, the doctors explained to me that this reaction occurred due to the chemotherapy drug. It helped the body fight leukemia, but at the same time, it was toxic. The son was given an antidote and discharged from intensive care a few days later. But after that, his condition began to deteriorate.

Lyubov noticed that her son was more distracted, his speech became slower, and his muscle strength weakened. The doctors performed a puncture on Gleb. It turned out that the schoolboy had experienced a relapse.

The heart couldn't take it

- A bone marrow transplant was required. My younger son and I were 50% compatible as donors. I decided to take all the risks upon myself and became a donor. Before the transplant, Gleb was prescribed high-dose chemotherapy, which was supposed to last five days. But after two days, my son suffered another stroke, was taken to intensive care, and put on a ventilator.

He remained in very critical condition for several days. The doctors admitted they didn't know if he would survive the next night.

Against all odds, one day the young man began to improve. He received stem cells.

- My son's lungs were affected. They were filled with fluid, which was drained. After some time, Gleb regained consciousness. But he couldn't move; he could only shake his head and move his eyes. Then he started to wiggle his index finger. But his condition worsened. It turned out there was an infection in his body, and his blood pressure was dropping severely….

The doctors were on high alert every minute, monitoring Gleb's condition and planning the next stage of treatment. However, on the night of January 26 to 27, Lyubov was awakened by a phone call: “Please go to intensive care.”

- I entered just as the doctors were performing chest compressions on my son. They were trying to revive him. But his heart could no longer handle the strain… But the most bitter part was that just a few hours after Gleb's death, I learned from the attending physician that the transplant had actually helped him. The last tests showed that my son had entered remission!

The Rasputins said goodbye to their eldest son in the capital. Lyubov's husband and her younger son temporarily moved from Novosibirsk to Moscow last summer when Gleb was just starting to recover, to be with the family. Dozens of people came to the farewell at the chapel near the hospital, many from Bratsk.

- I am grateful that fate gave Gleb one more summer, which we spent together. My son fought until the end. He was very patient, never complained of pain, and did his best to comfort me. Gleb was waiting for his friends to take their graduation exams and come to Moscow for university admissions; he planned to meet them. He was confident that very soon he would have a new life.

Lyubov Rasputina is thankful to everyone who supported her family during this difficult time: doctors, staff, volunteers, and simply compassionate people who were there for her son.

- There were so many money transfers from children who gave their last savings on their cards for Gleb. Classmates from the school in Novosibirsk, for example, refused gifts for February 23 and March 8, and donated the saved money for my son's treatment. Thank you to each one! I never expected such generosity, - the Siberian woman admits. - My son's former coach suggested holding an annual football match in memory of Gleb. I think this is a great idea!