Newsletter December 2007

Children’s Hospice

Newsletter December 2007

In December we were all in an elated mood awaiting the feast. On the eve of the New Year, one wants so much to believe in miracles! We wanted all of our patients to remember this as a time of magic, kindness, joy and fulfillment of their most treasured dreams!

At the end of the year, the health conditions considerably worsened for a large number of children. So we timed the fulfillment of dreams for all children to the New Year’s celebration.

Dreams Can Come True

The Dreams Come True project embraced 46 of our most seriously ill children. Believing in miracles is within every person, irrespective of their age.

The children wrote their wishes in a letter to Grandfather Frost. Their dreams were all unique: trips to unusual places, meetings with famous people, toys, computers, and play stations to name a few. The children wrote about the things that would make them happy. By fulfilling their wishes, we tried to provide them joy and the feeling that they are surrounded by many people who love and support them in their struggle against illness.

Such gifts have a great therapeutic impact. For example, a computer makes it possible to continue studies while in the hospital and to interact with friends. When they meet someone famous, the children learn to overcome their difficulties and to understand that a dream can come true. A favorite toy brightens up time spent during treatment in a hospital or at home. A computer game provides the opportunity to invite friends over to play.

The delight and astonishment of the children as Grandfather Frost and Snow Maiden handed out their long-awaited gifts made us – the employees of the hospice – really happy.

A Season of Festivities

In addition to the Dreams Come True project, we arranged many other New Year's events for our patients.

On the 25th of December, we organized a feast for all the employees of Children's Hospice and for the families of our patients and held it in the Fairytale Theatre.

Another celebration happened at the General Consulate of the USA and had a special value for the children: It was timed to the Day of Saint Nikolas the Miracle Worker, who is known in the west as Santa Claus. Employees of the consulate arranged an amazing concert and entertained the children with sweets. American and Russian children read verses together and sang songs in Russian and English.

The casino "Olympia" arranged a carnival for the children. They watched a colorful performance of clowns, acrobats, and magicians, and some children received prizes for the best costumes.

Retrospective

The year of 2007 was a significant one for Children's Hospice. The number of patients increased to 180 children. We have expanded the area of our outreach to the most remote places of the Leningrad region. In order to continue our work, we hired many new employees.

Children's Hospice started scientific and publishing activities in order to promote the development of the hospice movement and the establishment of new children's hospices in other regions of our country.

We thank all those people who have accompanied us this year and everyone who helped and supported us. We thank the children and their families for the love with which they responded our activities. When we see the shining eyes of a child and her smiling mother, we understand that our efforts are not in vain and that we have brought a little more good into the world. We thank all employees of Children's Hospice for their patience, strength of mind, and love. We also thank all of our volunteers and benefactors for making the lives of the children more joyful and interesting.

Please share this newsletter with your friends, and if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us.

Thank you for your attention and cooperation.

Yours faithfully,

Fr. Alexander Tkachenko, Children’s Hospice, December 2007

Detski Hospis/Children’s Hospice