Lera K. came to our hospital from Karelia,
a region in the northwestern part of Russia. She is a patient of the
Department of Endocrinology. She is six years old, but she is very tiny,
as if she were only three. The doctors are to examine Lera's condition
and to determine if this retarded growth requires special correction.
The girl is quite smart. She knows the ABC and can even write a little.
She has a small notebook where she puts down the names of her relatives:
uncles, aunts, brother, granny... From her words it is impossible to
understand if all these numerous relatives really exist or they are just
a product of her imagination...
The girl constantly held a small doll with broken arms: it was her only
toy. When volunteers brought a Barbie doll for her, she was simply
amazed: the girl had never seen anything like it!
A medical nurse from Lera's orphanage came to our hospital with the girl
but could not stay. So, the mother of another girl from the same ward is
taking care of Lera. She says that this is very easy: Lera is a very
sensible and obedient girl.
The girl needs clothes, both for staying indoors and for going out in
cold weather. 21.11.2005 Lera fell ill. It seems that she had caught a cold on
her way to Moscow, where she was in a light jacket and thin cap. Another
problem: a girl from Lera's ward, whose mother took such good care of
Lera, will soon be discharged. However, the medical nurses (who also
love Lera and have even brought her a large and beautiful doll) promise
that they will not leave the kid alone in any case. Many visitors of our
Web site have already offered winter clothes for Lera. She still needs a
warm cap and winter boots. 28.11.2005 The doctors have finished the girl's examination. The
tests have confirmed the earlier diagnosis. Dr. Maxim E. Karmanov, who
heads the Department of Endocrinology, is telling, "Lera has
malfunctioning of the growth hormone. She must receive constant
substitutive therapy with this hormone. If she receives the necessary
dose each day, she will finally become 155 or 160 cm tall and look just
like other people of her age. All children with this diagnosis are
included in the federal list of the Institute of Endocrinology, which
means that they must receive the necessary hormonal drugs at local
offices free of charge (although sometimes the supply of this medicines
may be temporarily interrupted, which is intolerable). I must also note
that children from orphanages are sometimes short owing only to
psychogenic reasons and start growing by themselves, without any
substitutive therapy with the growth hormone, after they find a
family."
Lera left the hospital and went home today. All the staff of the
Department of Endocrinology and the mothers of other patients will miss
her terribly. A wonderful girl, so kind and smart, so charming, she said
goodbye to everybody at the department and left it loaded with presents,
looking like a tiny fairy with all these colored packages in her hands.
The doctors, who sympathize with the girl very much, asked us to tell
the readers of this Web site that Lera needs loving parents most of all.
In a family, all problems with her health will be easily resolved. But
nobody knows if the staff of the orphanage can do everything necessary
for her... By the way, we have received a letter from this orphanage
confirming that Lera has no family indeed. Her mother had left her
immediately after birth. The girl has no other relatives. All the
touching stories about them are just her fantasies.. 24.03.2006 We have received very good news from Petrozavodsk in
Karelia: Lera, our Thumbelina, has been adopted!
Roza K. is 15. She has come from Tatarstan [a
republic in the Volga region] for follow-up treatment at the Department
of Microsurgery. This quiet and friendly girl likes reading books. She
is very shy and values all kinds of attention. She was admitted to a
vocational school this year and will become a tailor. 18.11.2005 Roza was discharged from hospital.
Her birthday is November 22. We had to give her all the presents before
this date: imitation jewelry, beadwork kits, and books. She will visit
the RCCH again in March. 6.07.2006 Roza has again been admitted to the Department of
Microvascular Surgery. This time the doctors are planning an operation.
Now Rosa is having a course of laser therapy.
Roza is a merry, kind, and pretty girl. She loves the Harry Potter books
and fantasy in general, plays the guitar, writes and sings songs. She is
presently studying to be a tailor; maybe she will manage to continue her
education and to become a fashion designer.
Roza has two sisters and a brother in Kazan. She loves them very much.
Now, during her stay in Moscow, she wants to see the Red Square and the
Kremlin.
Zhenya F. is 15. She is from Mordovia. It is
her fourth visit to our hospital for treatment. She is in her eighth
school year, and later she wants to become a cook. The girl is lively
and sociable. 21.11.2005 Zhenya will be discharged from hospital in a few days.
She wants to stay here a bit more, to go sightseeing in Moscow.
Unfortunately, so far none of the volunteers has had the time to drive
her over the city. 28.11.2005 Zhenya has left the hospital. However, she managed to
see Moscow a little: on Sunday, our volunteer Nadezhda took her
sightseeing. They visited the central part of Moscow, the Kremlin, and
the surroundings of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.
Before Zhenya left, mothers of other children had convinced her to
pierce her ears and to wear ear-rings, saying that she would look more
feminine. The simple operation was performed right at the department,
and our volunteers gave pretty ear-rings to Zhenya. They also found a
new pink sheepskin coat for the girl, and now she looks very elegant.
The medical nurse from the orphanage, who came to take Zhenya back
there, at first could not recognize the girl and then whole-heartedly
thanked all volunteers and other people who made Zhenya's visit to the
hospital so pleasant. 6.12.2006 Zhenya F. has arrived at the
Department of Endocrinology for her annual examination. She has become
much more grown-up and much prettier. Zhenya is a very serious
and hard-working girl. Presently she is in her 9th school year,
and she is going to enter a college this spring. She wants to
have some good, reliable profession associated with contruction or
railways.
Vika O. is three years old. She came to the
hospital from Yakutia together with a nurse from her orphanage. This
girl has multiple congenital pelvic disorders and delayed psychomotor
and speech development.
A successful reconstructive urological surgery was performed in the
beginning of November 2005. Now the girl's pelvic organs function
normally. 11.11.2005 Vika has been discharged from hospital. Now she is to
undergo long-term neurological treatment at a local clinic.
Tanya K. is 14. She has come from Yakutia,
where she lives in a family-type orphanage. She has been visiting our
hospital for treatment since the age of two. Tanya has been baptized at
the hospital church. Presently she is a patient of the Department of
Coloproctology.
She had a surgery in October.
The second surgery took place on November 10. The girl has already
returned to her department. She is feeling fine.
Tanya has good intellectual and cultural development. She loves reading,
especially books about animals. 21.11.2005 Tanya has recovered after her surgeries. She was
discharged and went home on November 18. Now she will arrive for
follow-up treatment in March. It is a pity that this serious and
educated girl could not visit the theater together with other children,
because she was not allowed to sit after the operation. Tanya was really
sad about it.
Sasha K. is 12. He lives in an orphanage in
the town of Syzran (Samara region). This boy has a deep chemical burn of
the face with lesion of the bones and cartilaginous tissue, and several
operations at the Department of Maxillofacial Surgery are planned. The
boy has had not only a grave physical injury but also a deep
psychological trauma: it was his own mother who splashed acid on his
face.
Still, Sasha is a lively and sociable boy. He has made friends with
another boy from the same ward and invents various adventures and games
together with him. He is not a fan of reading but has become interested
in computers during his stay at the hospital. In future, he wants to
become a driver.
Sasha has good appetite. His favorite food is chicken, which,
unfortunately, is usually lacking at his orphanage. Volunteers bring
roast chicken to him, and Sasha tries to use it sparingly: hides it in
the fridge and then cuts off small pieces, heats them on the central
heating radiator, and eats...
Volunteer Vladimir has taken Sasha and Kolya
P. from the Department of Otolaryngology to see Moscow. The
boys were enraptured. They posed for photographs, visited a McDonald's,
and felt altogether happy. 11.11.2005 Expanders for reconstruction of facial bones have been
bought for Sasha. The first surgery will soon take place. 16.11.2005 An expander was at last surgically installed. Sasha
already runs about the hospital, although at first, until the pain
ceased, he was sad and asked to leave him alone. While he was
"under home arrest," it turned out that this boy is interested
in mathematics and studies it with pleasure. 22.12.2005 Sasha receives much attention from volunteers, because
he has serious problems in his communication with the adults. Yulia, a
student of psychology, regularly consults him. Volunteer Ilya has given
him a present, a Monopoly game, and Sasha is mastering it now. Volunteer
Natasha gave him another game: table football. Volunteer Katya gives
English lessons to Sasha. So he can hardly be bored. 1.02.2006 Right after the New Year holidays, Sasha had plastic
surgery of the bridge of nose. The bandages were removed two days ago.
The doctors were more than satisfied with the result. A year later,
Sasha is to have another surgery to restore the cartilaginous tissue of
the nose tip and wings. Sasha is feeling fine, and soon he will go back
to his orphanage. 25.02.2006 So, our Sasha has left for his orphanage. We were sad
to see him go away. Now he has grown-up friends in Moscow: Ilya, Yulia,
Nastya, Katya, Natalia. And he can write letters to them. Sasha wept
when he had to leave. And, in spite of all the pain of this parting, we
were glad to see these tears: they mean that now Sasha can believe
people and love them. It is painful that he has to go back to an
orphanage, and we hope that this is not for ever...
Sasha will return for follow-up treatment at the RCCH in the autumn of
2006. Before his departure, Sasha allowed us to take his photograph and
to place it on this page. This is his serious victory over himself: now
Sasha believes that somebody can love him in spite of his looks, that
nobody will laugh at him. 31.03.2006 Our volunteers have visited Sasha at his orphanage in
the town of Syzran. It may seem strange but the boy misses the hospital.
He says that he has never been so happy as there. Imagine the terrible
destiny of this child if the hospital life and surgical treatment are
the best things he has ever seen.
Sasha's friend Ilya, a volunteer from the Help Group, is telling:
"Sasha is a very sensitive and kind boy. But he is sensitive to
both good and evil, and he has got too little experience to choose the
good and to reject the evil. But he is attentive and smart, and he
listens to advice and explanations. He was very unlucky in life, and he
needs help. He will be a fine person if somebody teaches him the right
attitude to life and the right behavior.
Sasha wants to become a driver when he grows up. I told him that I had
also wanted to become a driver as a child. When I said that I had wanted
to drive cars for government members and other "big fish,"
Sasha asked me, "Where would you carry the fish: to the sea or from
the sea?" He doesn't yet know what government is.
Sasha is very sensitive and shy with other people. He has suffered much
from human aggression and evil, but he understands kindness.
When Sasha was ready for discharge from hospital, representatives of his
orphanage could not take him there for some time. I spoke to him, and he
said, "It's wonderful that they are not coming after me. It is
better at the hospital." I only hope that some time Sasha will see
a better life and be happy at last."
16.11.2006 Sasha has returned to the hospital for follow-up
treatment. He has grown up a great deal, but still he remains the same boy.
He was very glad to see us again but tried very hard not to show it!
However, he willingly agreed to pose for a new photograph. This is
how he is looking now. 19.12.2006 Sasha K. has had an expander set on
his cheek for deep stretching and smoothing of post-burn scars. He
will stay at the hospital for a fairly long time. Many of our volunteers
have become his friends. Now the boy is much more sociable and less
shy. Besides, he is no longer afraid of being photographed. 17.01.2007 Sasha K. had another surgery on
January 15. An expander for gradual stretching and smoothing of post-burn
scars was introduced. Sasha will spend a long time at the hospital,
and he was really happy to hear this. We are also glad to share his company. 22.06.2007 Sasha has celebrated his
13th birthday. It was a real birthday with guests, congratulations,
and even a cake. 25.10.2007 Sasha has had another successful plastic surgery of his face. 19.05.2008 Sasha has gone through the next
stage of plastic surgery on his nose. He is changing in front of our eyes, and we are
very glad for the boy and grateful to the wonderful surgeons! 18.08.2008 Sasha, one of our
oldest friends, a boy is very difficult destiny, has a new family now! Sasha will live in Moscow, and
his father will be together with him during hospital treatment. The boy is already 14. He had not
seen warmth and care since early childhood, and only at the hospital the boy has again learned to trust people
and love them. 21.08.2008 Sasha was discharged till December. Now he has a father, a mother, and
a younger brother. Sasha is really happy.
16.02.2006
Little Zhenishbek N. has come from Tyva (a republic in South Siberia)
together with a nurse from his orphanage. The boy is 2 years 9 months
old. He has chronic laryngitis and cicatricial laryngeal stenosis. He is
a patient of the Department of Otolaryngology. Surgery is planned. So
far the boy has serious problems with speaking. His larynx is intubated,
and he can only whisper. But, in spite of this, the boy is sociable and
friendly, and altogether smart. His nurse takes good care of him.
Natalia has bought a winter jacket and trousers for the boy. 10.03.2006 Zhenishbek has had his surgery. It turned out that, in
addition to all his diagnoses, the boy also has papillomatosis of the
larynx. A tracheostoma has been installed for the time being. He will go
home with it and return for another surgery three months later. 31.03.2006 The boy was examined two weeks ago, and the doctor
said that the results of the surgery are positive. In spite of the tube
in his larynx, Zhenishbek can now speak a little (right after the
surgery, he mostly gesticulated). He went home on March 28. Our
Foundation has purchased Roferon-A, an antiviral drug, to treat him with
it for two months. In the middle of June, Zhenishbek will come to the
RCCH again for an examination and follow-up treatment. This boy is so
charming that everybody at the department loves him. Parents of other
children from the same department came to visit him specially, even
after their own children were discharged. Everybody at hospital thought
that Zhenishbek's nurse was actually his mother: she took such good care
of him. They even look alike.
17.02.2006Katya Sh. is two years eight
months old. She came from an orphanage in Smolensk with her nurse. She
is a patient of the Department of Maxillofacial Surgery. This is her
second admission to our hospital: the first surgery took place in the
summer of 2005.
This girl has a combined congenital defect: cleft lip and cleft hard and
soft palate. The surgeons still have to perform much work. Probably she
is to expect three more surgeries. The girl is active, sociable, and
intellectually developed. She likes listening to books and looking at
pictures. But she doesn't like being photographed. She just refused to
smile in front of the camera, although just before that she had gotten
acquainted with all the volunteers and shown them her pretty books. On
Tuesday, February 21, she will have her surgery and then spend about ten
more days at the hospital. 7.03.2006 Katya, looking much prettier than before, has been
discharged from hospital. The doctors say that no scars will remain on
her lip after the wound is healed. Half a year later, she will come to
the hospital again to have an operation on her palate. We liked this
charming girl immensely. Of course, all little kids are nice, but one
can seldom see such sweet temper. Katya is incredibly sensible for her
young age. It seems that she just knows nothing about being fretful: you
can always explain everything to her and come to agreement. 18.08.2006 Katya was admitted to the RCCH for the next surgery,
this time on her hard palate. The girl is accompanied by a nurse from
her orphanage, who takes good care of Katya. The surgery will take place
in a weel or so. 2.09.2006 Katya's surgery was successful. She has already been
discharged from hospital. She is to come back in a year for a consultation,
and the next surgery will take place two years later. 19.12.2006 Good news from Smolensk: little Katya Sh.
has been adopted. She will leave Russia soon. Let us wish her good luck!
Nadya K. from Moscow is 7 years old. She
was admitted to the Department of Urology at the end of February 2006.
The diagnosis is reflux. She is a smart and cheerful girl, and it is
always interesting to speak with her. 1.03.06 After a successful endoscopic surgery, Nadya's problem
was eliminated. 7.03.06 Nadya was discharged from hospital in fine condition.
31.03.2006Vera L-va, a girl of 16, was
admitted to the Department of Gynecology. She is from the town of
Belovo, Kemerovo region (Siberia). After a medical examination, laser
treatment is planned. So far Vera is somewhat depressed: it is the first
time that she has left her native town for such a long journey. This
girl is shy and quiet, inclined to being alone. She likes reading,
especially detective stories. She is also keen about drawing and
embroidering. It is her first visit to Moscow, and she dreams of seeing
the Red Square. 27.04.2006 Vera's treatment was successfully completed, and she
was discharged from hospital.
31.03.2006Slava M-v, a boy of three from
the Moscow region, was admitted to the Department of Psychoneurology-2
for an examination. The boy's story is very sad and, alas, not too rare
for our today's life. Slava's mother often drank with her guests at
home, and nobody paid much attention to the child. During one of such
meetings, it suddenly turned out that the house was on fire. Slava's
mother and her drunken guests ran away. The neighbors failed to
extinguish the fire in time. The boy wasn't found anywhere, and
everybody thought that he was dead. However, he turned up soon: the
mother and guests just forgot him outside on that night, and he found
some place to hide from the cold. After that, Slava's mother was at last
deprived of parental rights and the boy was taken to an orphanage. The
doctors noticed that Slava had a kind of strange fits: they looked as if
he lost his consciousness for a few moments from time to time. The child
was taken to the RCCH for an examination. Fortunately, the doctors said
that nothing was seriously wrong with his health.
Slava is a lively boy, very smart and amiable, obedient and
affectionate. He likes to play and chat with others. 6.04.2006 After discharge from hospital, Slava returned to his
orphanage. All the necessary brain examinations have been performed at
our hospital. The suspected diagnosis (epilepsy) hasn't been confirmed.
The boy is healthy and just needs a kind family.
Lena S. is seven years old. She is
currently receiving treatment at the Center of Microvascular Surgery.
Both the doctors and the parents of other children at this department
liked this kind girl and took care of her with pleasure. It is still
unclear how much time she will spend in Moscow. She had almost no
clothes and hygienic aids with her, and so volunteers provided her with
all these things.
Lera K. came to our hospital from Karelia,
a region in the northwestern part of Russia. She is a patient of the
Department of Endocrinology. She is six years old, but she is very tiny,
as if she were only three. The doctors are to examine Lera's condition
and to determine if this retarded growth requires special correction.
The girl is quite smart. She knows the ABC and can even write a little.
She has a small notebook where she puts down the names of her relatives:
uncles, aunts, brother, granny... From her words it is impossible to
understand if all these numerous relatives really exist or they are just
a product of her imagination...
31.03.2006 Vera L-va, a girl of 16, was
admitted to the Department of Gynecology. She is from the town of
Belovo, Kemerovo region (Siberia). After a medical examination, laser
treatment is planned. So far Vera is somewhat depressed: it is the first
time that she has left her native town for such a long journey. This
girl is shy and quiet, inclined to being alone. She likes reading,
especially detective stories. She is also keen about drawing and
embroidering. It is her first visit to Moscow, and she dreams of seeing
the Red Square.
31.03.2006 Slava M-v, a boy of three from
the Moscow region, was admitted to the Department of Psychoneurology-2
for an examination. The boy's story is very sad and, alas, not too rare
for our today's life. Slava's mother often drank with her guests at
home, and nobody paid much attention to the child. During one of such
meetings, it suddenly turned out that the house was on fire. Slava's
mother and her drunken guests ran away. The neighbors failed to
extinguish the fire in time. The boy wasn't found anywhere, and
everybody thought that he was dead. However, he turned up soon: the
mother and guests just forgot him outside on that night, and he found
some place to hide from the cold. After that, Slava's mother was at last
deprived of parental rights and the boy was taken to an orphanage. The
doctors noticed that Slava had a kind of strange fits: they looked as if
he lost his consciousness for a few moments from time to time. The child
was taken to the RCCH for an examination. Fortunately, the doctors said
that nothing was seriously wrong with his health.
Lena S. is seven years old. She is
currently receiving treatment at the Center of Microvascular Surgery.
Both the doctors and the parents of other children at this department
liked this kind girl and took care of her with pleasure. It is still
unclear how much time she will spend in Moscow. She had almost no
clothes and hygienic aids with her, and so volunteers provided her with
all these things.
16.11.2006 Sasha has returned to the hospital for follow-up
treatment. He has grown up a great deal, but still he remains the same boy.
He was very glad to see us again but tried very hard not to show it!
However, he willingly agreed to pose for a new photograph. This is
how he is looking now.
19.12.2006 Sasha K. has had an expander set on
his cheek for deep stretching and smoothing of post-burn scars. He
will stay at the hospital for a fairly long time. Many of our volunteers
have become his friends. Now the boy is much more sociable and less
shy. Besides, he is no longer afraid of being photographed.
18.08.2006 Katya was admitted to the RCCH for the next surgery,
this time on her hard palate. The girl is accompanied by a nurse from
her orphanage, who takes good care of Katya. The surgery will take place
in a weel or so.
